


It's Only Temporary

by allisonsargent



Category: GOT7
Genre: Barista!Mark, Idol!Jackson - Freeform, M/M, and Jackson is this super famous star who is known to be a little hard to handle, and his assistants can't deal with him?? so jinyoung by chance finds Mark and bam he's hired, lots of cute fluff!!!, omg okay so Mark is a barista right?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-05-17 08:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5861365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonsargent/pseuds/allisonsargent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You must've heard of my — well, rather constant flow of personal assistants?” </p><p>“I have.” </p><p>“Do you think you're patient enough to handle me?” </p><p>Mark deadpans. “Jackson-ssi, if I'm patient enough to listen to, and let alone make, a large five shot vanilla iced caramel macchiato with no whip, light ice, and sugar free caramel syrup, I think I can be your personal assistant.”</p><p>“Well.” Jackson grins, obviously impressed; both at the order, and the mere fact that Mark had actually memorized an order that long. It'll come in handy when Jackson told Mark his outrageous orders. “Mark Tuan, consider yourself my new assistant.” </p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're Hired

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys!! It's Sophia, breaking into yet another fandom! I'm a big fan of Markson, ever since I started liking GOT7 I was, so this happening is no surprise. I really really hope you guys like this, and comments and kudos are ALWAYS appreciated.

“That's it!” The assistant practically shrieks, setting the cup in her hand down onto the table angrily, the liquid inside sloshing out. Suddenly, an almost accusing finger was being pointed at Jackson from across the room. “He is absolutely insane! How can you — how can anyone deal with him? He is the most infuriating person I've ever met!”

“I've been told I'm quite lovely.” Jackson comments, almost unnecessarily.

“Jackson, shut up.” Also sensing the level of unnecessariness of Jackson's comment, Jinyoung groans loudly.

“See?! I can't stay here. No matter how much you pay me. I'm finished.” The girl grabs her coat and planner and, in rage, storms out of the room. She slams the door just loud enough to hurt the ears of both Jackson and Jinyoung, and to leave the room with an almost uncomfortable silence. 

Jinyoung, very slowly, turns his gaze to Jackson, who was sitting beside him. Jinyoung was feeling a kaleidoscope of emotions; annoyance and desperation ringing out above them all, however. On the other hand, Jackson was grinning widely like a Cheshire cat, as if he didn't have a care in the world. His phone was held up at an angle, and he was pouting at the camera, and so it appeared as though he was currently taking a selfie, probably one to post to his millions of fans. Certainly the life of Jackson Wang. 

“Jackson, that's the third one in the year.” sighs Jinyoung. “You really have to stop this, I can only make up so many excuses to the media for all these assistants leaving.”

“Jinyoung-ee, you actually don't think that was my fault, do you?” Jackson asks with an incredulous gaze, his eyes bulging out from his eye sockets.

“Jackson. You knocked her phone onto the floor and cracked the screen, accidentally spilled a green tea milkshake on her shoes, and then proceeded to yell at her after she took too long to get you a new milkshake.”

Jackson considers Jinyoung's words for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Still. She could've dealt with that, no? I would've bought her a dozen new pairs to replace the one she had on. I did her a favor, anyway! Who wears suede shoes right when it's raining? See, Jinyoung-ee, I can be helpful too!"

Jinyoung was staring at Jackson with an unreadable expression painted across his face; he seemed to be both confused and shocked at the mere idea that Jackson thought that his insolent behavior could be taken as helpful in any way.

Jackson, not liking the silence that had suddenly reappeared, cleared his throat before speaking again. “Do you know what that means?” asks Jackson excitedly.

“What?” Jinyoung asks suspiciously, Jackson sounded much too excited.

Jackson claps his hands in delight, and proceeds to lean into Jinyoung, as if he were about to tell him a secret. “A new assistant!”

And Jinyoung should've seen that comment coming, if he was being realistic. He'd been acting as Jackson's manager ever since Jackson debuted as a solo act straight out of Seoul two years ago. Two years ago, Jackson had refused to be put into a band of any sort, and argued his way until he was on track to debut as a solo artist. The company wasn't sure if he'd sell, considering his music and style was just so different from everything else at the time. Taking a gamble on Jackson Wang, he was debuted, and much to everyone's surprise, his first single went straight to the top of the charts; and so did his next one, and the next one.

And that's how, two years later, Jackson was taking over the market, with Jinyoung right as his side serving as his manager. Jackson had needed someone his around his age to manage his affairs, because after trying to work with several other managers, none of them worked and the company was getting irritated. Until Jinyoung came along, freshly 19, with a baby face but a mature and responsible character. Jackson liked him instantly, and Jinyoung was hired. You could assume that after being with someone all the time for two years, you'd know the person pretty well; and believe him, Jinyoung knows Jackson well. That didn't mean that he exactly knew how to deal with Jackson's actions, though. 

"Jackson, do you know how hard it is to get an assistant for someone as famous as you? Like, there are all these background checks we need to have done, and we need to get them to sign all these contracts, it's not so easy. And, you have a whole string of appearances to promote the new tour! Do you know how hard it's gonna be for me to get someone for you on such short notice?" Jinyoung scolds, obviously mad. "But, of course, you probably didn't think of that as you yelled at Suzy for spilling the milkshake, didn't you?"

Jackson's were wide, and his face expressionless. Even if Jinyoung was his manager, he was one of the only people who seemed to really _get_ Jackson, and they were close friends. So, Jackson liked to avoid getting him mad. "I'm very sorry Jinyoung-ee.. I didn't mean to get you all stressed out, really!"

"Whatever. It's not like you can fix it. I guess I will have to find you a new assistant, and fast." Jinyoung shrugs. 

"Good!" Jackson peps up again, sitting up straight. "Now that that's settled, can I ask you for a favor?"

Jinyoung groans lowly. “Yes..”

Jackson picks up his phone again, seemingly picking up his previous selfie session. “Can you go get me another green tea milkshake?”

"Unbelievable." Jinyoung shouts, throwing his hands in the air in frustration, as he takes his coat and starts towards the door.

_Why on Earth was Jackson so difficult to deal with?_

* * *

Mark was just about ready to end his shift. It had been a long and productive day for him at the shop, and to say the least, Mark was tired. Saturdays during the winter were always some of the most busy days out of the whole year, and some of the days that overworked Mark the most. He thinks it's because the frigid weather caused people to search for their caffeine fix, and with the conveniently placed cafe that Mark worked out, most didn't have to go far to get their caffeine need filled.

“Markie, you about ready to go?” Youngjae, Mark's best friend, calls from somewhere deep in the kitchen.

“Yeah, Youngjae! Let me just wipe the counter down.”

Mark and Youngjae were both third year college students, and as you'd guess, they both needed jobs on the side. Luckily, the two were able to find part time jobs at a local café. It was in the heart of Seoul, close to the corporate businesses and the schools, so the flow of customers was almost never ending, and so the pay was good.

Tonight was one of the nights that Mark and Youngjae were working their shifts in tandem, but also one of the nights where they had to close up shop. It was exactly a minute before closing time, and all Mark was doing was wiping the counter down. He was just about done, and so he went to lock the door. Just as he turned the lock, a man came rushing to the door, looking almost desperate.

As the man outside saw Mark locking the door, he eyes suddenly went wide, and he shouted, rapping his hand on the door rapidly. He had this wide look of desperation in his eyes, and Mark would feel like such a bad person if he denied service; there was still a minute before closing time, anyway, one more customer wouldn't hurt, Mark considers. 

He turns the lock up so the door opens, and in tumbles the man, almost losing his balance. Once he was inside, Mark locked the door, and switched the sign hanging over door from the side that said **OPEN** , to the opposite side that read **CLOSED**. Mark, as a good barista would, places his faded blue apron back on, and positions himself behind the counter. "I'm lucky I caught you in time, huh?" 

"Yeah.." The other agrees almost shyly, before sheepishly thanking Mark about a hundred times. 

"Don't worry about it! What can I get you?" 

"Um.. Can I get a large green tea milkshake, with extra whipped cream?"

Mark finds the request weird enough, considering the cold weather outside, over half of the orders he was given to make were steaming hot coffees or teas. So you could imagine Mark's surprise when he heard the order. He shifts his body to grab the necessary ingredients for the order, deciding to make some small talk while he prepared the order for the customer. "So, a large green tea milkshake with extra whipped cream! I don't usually get orders like that in the Winter.. Let me guess, you're craving a green tea fix?" 

"No, no, actually! I'm more of a hot coffee kind of guy, if I'm being honest. It's not for me, it's for my client." The customer said, getting through the sentence quickly.

"Client, huh? What do you do?" 

"I'm a manager!" And there was a slight tone of pride in his tone that made Mark smile. 

And so Mark laughs, but not in a way that would be seen as disrespectful or rude, just a simple, lighthearted laugh. "That's interesting! I've never met a manager before. By any chance, would I know who you manage?" 

"Hmm," the mood of the conversation shifted drastically, because the customer seemed a little looser and playful with his tone now. "You might." 

"Hit me with it!" 

"Ever heard of Jackson Wang?" And right as the customer says it, the blender switches on, and Mark holds the lid of the blender tight as his eyes go wide.

"You manage Jackson Wang? J Flawless himself?" Mark hears himself calling over the loud noise of the green tea milkshake being prepared in the blender. 

"I do.." 

Mark is shocked, he's not going to lie. He's never met someone who was so close to a famous star before. Whether or not the man was actually telling the truth, Mark wasn't exactly sure, and he wouldn't actually be able to prove it, so he'd have to take the other's word. It wasn't like he listened to Jackson's music on a daily basis, but sure, Mark had heard some of his songs on the radio, and he wasn't going to lie, they were catchy.

And it goes without saying that Jackson wasn't voted sexiest idol in the industry in countless magazines for no reason, the boy was ridiculously talented, and also ridiculously good looking. Put all that together, and you get a great pop star; and apparently, if this guy wasn't lying, he was one of the forces behind such a great star.

It was quiet, until Mark was done preparing the drink. Almost flirtatiously, Mark grabs the sharpie on the counter, and looks up at the customer, with an eyebrow raised high. "Can I get a name for the order?" 

There was no real point of a name for the cup, considering the man was the only other customer in the cafe. But, either way, the customer smiles and replies. "Jinyoung — Well, you could put Junior. Nobody's called me Jinyoung since about the 6th grade." 

"Well, Junior, nice to meet you, I'm Mark! And, hey, if you're getting this for your client, you are getting something for yourself, right?" Mark inquires, casually. "It is cold outside." 

Junior shakes his head humbly, looking down at the counter, beginning to give the money for Jackson's order over to Mark. "No, no.. I couldn't.. I have to get back to Jackson, he might start whining if I don't get back in time with this." 

"C'mon, Junior. Let me make you a coffee!" And when Junior looks as if he's about to hesitate, Mark quickly adds. "On the house, swear." 

Junior considers the offer, before nodding slowly. "You know what? Why not.." 

"How do you like your coffee, Junior, manager extraordinaire?" 

"Um.. I like cappuccinos? Can you make me one of those?" 

Mark nods. "Of course, I'm a barista!" 

As Mark goes to make the second drink, Junior stares at the other boy's back. "Hey, can I ask you something?" 

Mark hums as he prepares to brew the coffee. "Sure!" 

"Would you ever consider being a personal assistant?" 

The question was quite random to Mark, if you asked him. It wasn't a common question by any means, but Mark actually considers the answer before answering it. "Um.. I guess? It would be an interesting job, I think. Why do you ask?" 

"Well.. Let's just say that my client needs a new personal assistant, and you seem pretty patient, so.." 

"Are you offering me a job?" 

"Not exactly. If you'd like to apply, I could schedule an interview? Jackson would have to approve and all, and we'd need some simple background checks done but besides that, that's really all —" 

"— I don't know." Mark replies, exactly when the beeper for the coffee goes off. Mark turns to the brewer, pouring the steaming hot coffee into a paper cup.

And in that exact moment, Mark's best friend, Youngjae walks out of the kitchen, looking clean, unlike when he had walked into the kitchen, covered in flour and icing.

"You ready to go Markie? Because I am totally —" Youngjae pauses his sentence when he sees Junior and Mark leaning over the counter, definitely looking engaged in their conversation. Youngjae wiggles his eyes at Mark, before quietly heading back into the kitchen, leaving the two alone.

"Listen, no pressure or anything." smiles Junior, picking up the sharpie Mark had used only a few minutes ago. He takes a nearby napkin and scribbles his number down onto the paper, sliding it over to Mark. "But if you actually decide to seriously consider it, call me." And like that, Junior left, the small bell above the door jingling as he made his exit. 

Mark wasn't alone for very long, though, as Youngjae soon made his way back into the room. "Who was he? He was cute, Markie!" 

Mark rubs the back of his neck shyly, nodding his head. "Yeah, I guess. He seems really nice. His name is Junior." 

"Did you get a number from this Junior?"

"Yes.." _But not for the reason Youngjae is thinking about_ , thinks Mark.

"Nice, Markie." grins Youngjae, as he heads towards the coat rack, where his and Mark's jackets hang, untouched. Youngjae picks up Mark's, and over the counter, hands it to him, while putting on his own. "As much as I'd love to stay and talk with you, I really wanna head home." 

"Youngjae? we share an apartment." Mark rolls his eyes, slipping his jacket on. 

"Exactly! So we can talk at home, not here. I'm gonna go get the car, okay? Turn off the lights." And Youngjae exits, and for the first time in the whole day, Mark is left alone. He glances down at the counter, where Junior's napkin was, untouched. He stares at it, wondering if he'd actually take it or not. 

Making his decision, Mark turns off the lights, and heads out. 

* * *

“Jinyoung-ee, how many more applicants do we have to look at? It's almost lunchtime!” whines Jackson, as he slumps further down into the plastic chair he'd been sitting in for the past two hours. He'd seen over a dozen applicants who, in Jackson's perspective, we're all the same. Nobody had exactly jumped out at him, even if Jinyoung had reminded him before the interviews started that Jackson was to look for someone who could be helpful in his career, not a playmate. With Jinyoung's warning eventually disregarded, Jackson started his pursuit in finding the perfect assistant. He needed someone who could keep up with his witty jokes and slightly wild attitude, but could also be responsible and helpful when necessary.

So far? He hadn't found anyone who particularly caught his interest. When interviewing for the position Jinyoung currently obtained, nobody had popped out at Jackson until Jinyoung came in; and Jinyoung was the perfect fit for him, so Jackson applied the same process here.

But, even if he was waiting for the perfect assistant, he was already growing restless of sitting through all these interviews. 

“Let's just wait a few more minutes, okay, Jackson-ah? If nobody else comes, we'll try to pick someone from who we have.” Jinyoung replies, rubbing Jackson's neck soothingly. 

Jackson sighed lowly, nodding his head at his manager respectfully. Jackson, even if he didn't exactly portray it externally, was always particularly stressed internally. Being a star as famous as him wasn't the easiest job on the planet, as being a star came with a certain pressure and higher standard to have to please that most people didn't have. And now, preparing for a tour while promoting his album was applying loads of unnecessary stress onto Jackson's conscious. So, sometimes his actions could be seen as diva-ish or even a little vain, but he never meant to hurt anyone, it's just that all the stress caused him to snap at the smallest of actions. The minor lashings out due to the stress was a large factor in why many of his assistants quit.

Soon enough, a few minutes passed, and Jinyoung shook Jackson slightly, signaling that he could get ready to go.

Jackson nodded, and shifted in his chair to move his limbs; his foot had fallen asleep, so he stays still for a few seconds. During those few seconds that he didn't get up, the door of the interview room was pushed open ever so slightly. A head popped in, greeting both Jinyoung and Jackson with a greeting in fluent Korean and a big smile. 

Jackson glanced over at Jinyoung, who was smiling widely and was already gesturing for the other to come into the room. The applicant inched his way into the room slowly until he was standing before Jackson and Jinyoung. The first thing that Jackson acknowledged about the boy was his simple beauty. He had this uncommon, brown hair with pink-ish hues that contrasted well with his fair skin and dark eyes rather nicely; he also had a nice pair of pink lips that he kept biting, probably nerves, Jackson assumed. His looks were such a simple statement but they popped out to Jackson almost immediately. And so he was intrigued, and couldn't take his eyes off him. Until..

“Mark-ssi!” grins Jinyoung. And Jackson is shocked because _does Jinyoung actually know the applicant_?

“Junior-ssi! Nice to see you. Again.” smiles Mark politely, but even if it was out of politeness, there was genuine friendliness behind the greeting. 

“Your name's Mark?” asks Jackson, breaking into the conversation. 

“Yes!” replies the applicant — _Mark_ — but points his finger at Jackson with a smile. “I think I already know your name,” He pauses teasingly. “You _just_ might have to remind me, though.” 

Jackson likes him already. “Hmm.” grins Jackson, leaning over the table to extend his hand. “Jackson Wang.” 

And Mark shakes his hand. Jackson realizes how warm Mark's hand really is, and how the boy smells strongly of coffee and sweet icing and it's almost _intoxicating_. “Mark Tuan.” 

“Nice to meet you, Mark-ssi. Tell me, have you ever been a personal assistant before?” asks Jackson, for about the hundredth time today. 

“No, but I have a few siblings, and I constantly was helping them out, so that should count for something, I think.” Mark offers his answer, even if it's not exactly what Jackson had been asking. “I'm a barista, so I attend to people's orders on a daily basis. I'm very patient.” 

“You're a barista?” Jackson's eyes lit up at the very thought. He'd always been a caffeine fein, no doubt about it, and caffeine was a staple in his life; it kept him up.

“I am!”

“He makes really good coffee.” Jinyoung admits quietly.

Mark bows his head. “Thank you, Jinyoung-ssi.” 

“Have you ever committed any.. Criminal offenses?” asks Jackson, reentering the conversation. 

“No! I swear. I'm a good boy.” Mark laughs. 

“Well, you know that this isn't a part time job? This is a full time job. You might have to leave your job as a barista if you accept this job.” 

It doesn't take Mark long to make up his mind, considering his long drive from his appartment to this part of Seoul and his sleepless night have him more than enough time to think about whether or not he really wanted it. Mark nods, and Jackson continues. “You must've heard of my — well, rather constant flow of personal assistants?” 

“I have.” 

“Do you think you're patient enough to handle me?” 

Mark deadpans. “Jackson-ssi, if I'm patient enough to listen to, and let alone make, a large five shot vanilla iced caramel macchiato with no whip, light ice, and sugar free caramel syrup, I _think_ I can be your personal assistant.”

“Well.” Jackson grins, obviously impressed; both at the order, and the mere fact that Mark had actually memorized an order that long. It'll come in handy when Jackson told Mark his outrageous orders. “Mark Tuan, consider yourself my new assistant.” 


	2. Money? What Money?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mark-ssi, Jinyoung is usually right,” Jackson informatively tells him, while Jinyoung, who was sitting on Mark's right, was grinning proudly. “I'm sorry you had to see that.” 
> 
> “See what?” Mark asks. 
> 
> Jackson narrows his eyes at Jinyoung momentarily before bringing his eyes back to Mark. His expression looked only slight fully playful, but serious at the same time. “Me being wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Comments and kudos are definitely appreciated.

“Mark-ssi! Could you come here for a minute?” called out Jinyoung, who had been fixing the papers since Jackson had exited the room several minutes prior. Mark had stood by patiently, not quite sure where he should go — or if he should stay. But, when Jinyoung called him over, he went.

“Yes, Junior-ssi?”

Junior placed the final papers inside the small briefcase like bag he carried, snapping it closed before looking up at Mark. He hesitated before speaking, as if he were choosing his words carefully; from judging Jinyoung's personality so far, he probably was. “Are you sure you want to take the job? Like.. You're positive?”

Mark nods, because of course, he had set aside some time the night before to just think about the offer Jinyoung had provided. He'd also consulted Youngjae, who practically begged Mark to take the job. There was a new barista who Youngjae had been asked to watch over anyway, Mark couldn't remember what his name was. With a new barista to fill the vacant position left by Mark, he guesses it's okay to go for it. After playing everything safe for his entire life, Mark decides to try to do something fun. “I'm sure.”

“It's just.. Jackson is a very — well, complicated person. He doesn't open up to many people and he just..” Jinyoung sighs. “Sometimes everything gets too much for him and he just —”

“— Lashes out?” Mark guesses, with eyebrows raised.

“Yeah.” Jinyoung admits. “I just. You seem to be good at your job and I don't want you to regret leaving your job for this.”

“Junior-ssi, I am incredibly patient. Don't worry. I think I can handle him.”

“Good. Patience is needed to handle him. You seem qualified though, trust me.” Junior smiles. And when he smiles it's this beautifully genuine smile that makes Mark smile instantaneously. “C'mon, Jackson must be starving. We can go eat and plan out the week's schedule, that sound okay?”

“That sounds great.”

And the both of them exit the small interview room that Jinyoung and Junior had been stationed in for the past hour or two. The two went in search for Jackson, who they found stationed inside the car, rambling to the driver about how the song that just came on was his own. When Jinyoung and Mark slid into the car, Jackson looked at them enthusiastically. “My song was just on the radio! Replay was on the radio — I am so excited!”

“Hyung, Replay has been on the radio quite a few times.” laughed Jinyoung.

“I've never heard it before!”

“Yes, you have.”

“Have not!” Jackson argues.

“You have.” Junior persists. “Remember when we were in the store the other day? And it started playing on the radio a cashier had, and you freaked out a bit?”

Mark glances over at Jackson, who was looking down, as if admitting defeat. He definitely seems persistent in his pursuit to be right, but Mark doesn't find Jackson so hard to handle — at least, now he doesn't. “Mark-ssi, Jinyoung is usually right,” Jackson informatively tells him, while Jinyoung, who was sitting on Mark's right, was grinning proudly. “I'm sorry you had to see that.”

“See what?” Mark asks.

Jackson narrows his eyes at Jinyoung momentarily before bringing his eyes back to Mark. His expression looked only slight fully playful, but serious at the same time. “Me being wrong.”

* * *

The three had reached their destination in a matter of minutes. The brief car ride had been nothing but fluid conversation because Mark and Jinyoung, with Jackson interjecting in sporadic outbursts. Mark was awfully curious as to why Jackson wasn't talking as much as Mark would've assumed he would.

“It's because he's hungry,” Jinyoung whispers to Mark as the two exit the car together, and follow behind Jackson into the restaurant. “He gets like this when he's hungry.”

“Quiet?”

“Exactly.”

Apparently, there had already been a lunch reservation, so there was no need to wait for a table. Jackson hastily followed the server to the table, not even glancing behind to see if Mark and Jinyoung were still following.

When they're all seated, menus are dispersed, and the server leaves them in peace.

Mark sneaks peels at both Jinyoung and Jackson, who had opened their menus already, and were hungrily scanning the menu with wide eyes. With hesitance, Mark picks up the menu. He pries the menu open slowly, looking up and down at the price side of the menu instead of the titles of the food. Mark hadn't bought all this money, considering he didn't know they'd been going out for lunch in one of Korea's most expensive restaurants!

When the waitress comes along, Mark nervously closes the menu, glancing down at the water he'd been served. He listens as Jackson rattled off his long order; while on the other hand, Jinyoung simply ordered some meat for himself. When it was Mark's turn to order, he runs the back of his neck. “Can I uh.. Have a bowl of noodles?”

Jinyoung and Jackson both turn to him with incredulous stares. The two stared at Mark as if he had just committed a sin, and Mark shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“Noodles? We're in one of the best restaurants in Korea and you're ordering noodles?” Jackson asks, his eyes wide.

“I didn't bring money, Jackson-ssi.” replies Mark awkwardly.

Jackson rolls his eyes at Mark before looking back at the waitress. “Cross the last order off. Instead, for my friend here, bring him some bulgogi —” Jackson quickly glances at Mark. “Do you like bulgogi?” Mark nods. “Okay, so yeah, bring him bulgogi with a side of rice. And some bowls of noodles. That'd be all, thank you.”

The waitress collects the menus and leaves the three alone at their table. Menus down, no distractions now; Jackson is staring at Mark, and as much as Mark wants to look away, he doesn't. Jackson's gaze with his piercing eyes is enough to make Mark want to disappear. “Mark-ssi.”

“Jackson-ssi.”

“What is this I didn't bring money business?”

“I mean.. This place is very expensive and I only bought enough money to have something small here.”

And with Jackson's strikingly serious gaze, the last thing Mark expected him to do was laugh; and he did. It was this lighthearted laugh that eased all of Mark's worries. “Mark. Come on. You're my assistant,” Jackson says. “I'll be paying for the lunch today. And any other lunches I decide to treat you to.”

“Oh, I — I don't know.” Mark had become quite an independent person after moving to Korea. Even if he was living and working with Youngjae, he was a very independent person; he paid for his food, his own rent, and didn't let others take care of his own responsibilities. So, letting Jackson pay for everything made Mark feel — well, _odd_.

Jackson takes a sip of his cold green tea that he had ordered. “It's the least I could do. You're going to be putting up with me, so.”

“Let's talk business now, shall we?” asks Jinyoung, after a few minutes or so without speaking. He pulls out two things from his black backpack: a small black agenda, and a slightly larger and thinner black planner. Jinyoung hands the small black one over to Mark, not looking directly at him. “This is yours. In it are all the numbers and emails you could possibly need; Jackson's family and friends, key members in the company —”

Junior was interrupted by Jackson.

“— Favorite restaurants, favorite stores!”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes, continuing his statement where he had left off. “Basically it's just something helpful for you! You can keep track of things and stuff in it.” Jinyoung pronounces every word in that sentence with an air of serious business, but there was this small smile on his face. He then looks down, opening the black planner. “Okay. So, Jackson has a few variety shows he's going to be guest MC-ing on this week as promo for the new album. I'm going to need you to call the studios to confirm his appearances.”

Mark nods.

Jackson coughs, then interjects a quick suggestion before Jinyoung speaks again. “Mark-ssi, you might wanna write this stuff down.”

“Oh! Yeah, of course.” And if his lack of experience as a personal assistant wasn't evident before, it assuringly was now. Jinyoung hands him a pen, and Mark writes down everything he tells him; Jackson has guest MC-ing jobs on the 15th and 19th, and a performance on some show to close out the week on the 21st. In between that, he has dance practices for a few hours on the 17th and 20th — Jinyoung warns him that if Jackson doesn't have his cooled green tea after practice, he will throw a fit.

Jackson was a busy man, Mark realizes, and this isn't going to be a simple job — Mark'll probably as busy as Jackson.

“I have it all written down!” announces Mark at last, placing his pen down triumphantly. His handwriting might've been slightly illegible — but, Mark, with his special ability, could still read it — but either way, it was still written down, and Mark was proud.

Both Jinyoung and Jackson lean over to sneak a glance at Mark's writing; Mark doesn't quite catch Jackson's snicker, and it was better that he didn't, he would've been extremely embarrassed. Jinyoung takes it upon himself to flip the pages of Mark's planner to the following week, picking up Mark's pen and handing it to him. “Good, moving on. Next week, Jackson has an appearance on —”

“— Wait. There's more to write?” Mark asks, exasperated. He hasn't written that much since he was in school — and he hadn't been in school for about a year!

“Mark-ssi, that was just one week! You'll write a lot more when I start touring, believe me.” grins Jackson.

 _He's touring soon!_ The sudden thought hit Mark as soon as the words came out of Jackson's mouth, as Mark unintentionally sits forward in his seat. “When do you —”

Mark's question didn't get the time of day to be fully asked, because as soon as he had begun to ask, the waitress came by the table with bowls of rice and noodles. She placed them down onto the table, and as soon as thanks to the waitress was said, Jackson seized the bowls of rice hungrily.

After a few mouthfuls of rice, Jackson turned his gaze back up to Mark. “What were you going to say?”

Deciding for noodles instead of rice, Mark slurps on his noodles silently. He hadn't eaten before he'd come to the interview earlier, so eating now was certainly a blessing. Mark coughs. “Oh! I was going to ask you when you go on tour.”

“Three weeks.” answers Jackson, in between mouthfuls of rice.

Jinyoung practically rolls his eyes at Jackson. “You know not to eat with your mouth full.” scolds Jinyoung under his breath, earning a mumbled apology from Jackson. He then turns his attention to Mark. “His first concert is in Seoul in three weeks. The first few concerts are in Korea, actually. Then we go to Hong Kong and Shanghai, then Tokyo, and then we branch off.”

“Um.. Can I ask a stupid question?” Mark asks.

“Depends on whether or not you want a stupid answer.” comments Jackson quietly, almost as if he didn't want Mark to hear him.

“Ask away.” Jinyoung tells him.

“Do I, um.. Come on these tours with Jackson or..?”

“Assuming I don't aggravate you enough for you to quit in the next three weeks, then yes, you'll be on tour with me the whole time.” Jackson informs Mark, all the while chewing on his rice.

“What happens if I don't come with you?”

“Easy.” shrugs Jackson. “You don't work with me anymore.”

Mark chokes on his tea at Jackson's forwardness.

* * *

When they returned to the office, Mark was surprised that someone was waiting for them. The person stood directly outside Jackson's and Jinyoung's shared office space given to them by the label. Said person was a guy who looked around Mark's age, with tall, black hair, and a wickedly charming smile.

Mark looks to Jinyoung for an explanation, but finds none. Jinyoung himself is staring at the stranger, his face curled into a absentminded smile. Realizing that he probably won't get a very good explanation from Jinyoung right now, he turns to Jackson. “Who's that?”

Jackson glances over at Mark with a confused stare. “You don't know who that is?” Mark shakes his head no, and Jackson lets out this easy laugh. “That's Im Jaebum.”

_Oh._

Im Jaebum, Mark knew, was signed under the same label as Jackson and was a platinum album artist in Korea. He had a voice as smooth as silk, and had an air of confidence that added to his already prominent attractiveness. Mark, for some reason, had not noticed him; and if he was being honest, Jaebum was even more attractive in person than he was on TV.

Mark glances from Jackson to Jaebum, who looked very invested in staring at Jinyoung. The two had seemed to be engaged in a staring match, with Jaebum grinning wildly, and Jinyoung practically blushing. Watching it made Mark feel odd, because there was this indescribable tension between the two.

“They like each other.” Jackson whispers into Mark's ear, and suddenly Jackson is very close to Mark and the boy wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

“What?” The word tumbles out of Mark's word as soon as Jackson spoke, and suddenly, he felt very embarrassed; both at being caught staring, and how dazed he sounded.

“I noticed you staring.” clarifies Jackson. “Jaebum is practically my best friend, and him and Jinyoung have been crushing on each other for months now.”

“Why haven't they gotten together?”

“Jaebum has commitment issues, and Jinyoung is too invested in his work to even think about dating.”

“But they both like each other?”

And now Jaebum and Jinyoung are actually talking instead of just staring at each other, and Jackson and Mark are just on the sidelines, merely observing.

“Exactly. Jaebum really wants to ask Jinyoung out but he just doesn't wanna hurt him.”

Mark just hums in response to Jackson. _It must be nice_ , Mark thinks, _to have someone like you back_.


	3. Interactions and Interrogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You got yourself a good one this time.” 
> 
> Looking at Mark, he nods. “I think so.” He shrugs. “It's only been a day, though. He might not be able to deal with me.” 
> 
> “I can't even deal with you, and I'm your best friend. Jinyoung barely deals with you. How is Mark, someone who's known you for a day, going to deal with you?” 
> 
> Jackson rubs the back of his neck, shifting in his spot beside Jaebum. “We'll just have to wait and see, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try my best to write these as fast as possible! It's crazy how this has two chapters and it has over 1k hits, this makes me so so happy! I'm glad you all like this. Comments and kudos help me write faster, and comments give me so much happiness! Anyway, I'm not sure when I'm gonna start making Jackson hard to handle, but enjoy this chapter!

Jinyoung suddenly laughed lightly at something Jaebum had said, laying a companionable hand on Jaebum's arm. As Jinyoung did so, Jaebum's eyes sparkled with such a mirth, that it surprised Mark.

“Mark, Jaebum may or may not interrogate you when he speaks to you.” Jackson's voice broke Mark's concentration on the drama of Jinyoung and Jaebum unfolding before them, and suddenly, Mark found himself listening to Jackson instead.

“Interrogate me?” Mark asks. “Why?”

“Well, Jaebum and I have this special kind of relationship, and he's protective of me. He's only a year older than me, but he treats me as his younger brother.” Jackson pauses. “He probably'll just want to make sure you're not a crazy fan or something.”

“I'm not a crazy fan, don't worry.” Mark laughs, almost nervously.

“Don't worry.” Jackson assures, touching Mark's shoulder. “I could tell.”

At that moment, Jaebum and Jinyoung glance towards Mark and Jackson. The two end their conversation to talk to Mark and Jackson, who had been on the sidelines for the last few minutes. “Jackson,” Jaebum grins, and despite calling Jackson's name, Jaebum's vision was entirely focused on Mark. “Another new assistant? You didn't tell me!”

“He was just hired.” Jinyoung informs Jaebum quietly, and Jaebum nods in understanding.

“Maybe I would've told you if you would've answered my texts, Jae.” Jackson speaks with such informality towards Jaebum, who even by a year, is still older than him, nevertheless.

“I've been in the studio all week trying to record my new album, you know I'd never ignore you purposely.” Jaebum pauses for a slight second. “Actually, no, I would.”

Jackson hits Jaebum on the arm, whining while doing so, and Jaebum laughs in response to Jackson's childish actions. “My last album entered at 2 on most of the charts and was number 1 for a few weeks,” Jaebum chuckles sheepishly. “I'm just trying to find ways to top it.”

“Maybe by featuring me on a song.” Jackson smirks.

Jaebum doesn't bother to reply verbally, instead rolling his eyes at Jackson. Rather than disciplining Jackson, Jaebum seems to accept the air of informality within the relationship — Mark could concur that much from the last few replies between Jackson and Jaebum.

What broke the silence afterwards was Jinyoung's phone. He pulls it out of his jacket pocket, looking over at Jackson. The two had this unspoken communication with their eyes, and then they were both moving towards the door. Jinyoung opens the door for Jackson, who exits first. “Excuse us, we have to take this.”

Without the presence of Jackson and Jinyoung, suddenly, Jaebum's focus was on Mark again, and under his sharp gaze, Mark desperately wanted to disappear. “What's your name?”

“Uh —” And Mark pauses, as if he suddenly forgot his own name. The pressure being applied by Jaebum's intimidating gaze made Mark nervous.

“— You know your own name, don't you?” Jaebum asks, with his eyebrows raised and head tilted, only furthering his inquiry.

“I-I do. It's Mark.”

Jaebum only inquires further than that. “Mark what?”

“Mark Tuan.”

“Hmm.” Jaebum observes Mark carefully. “So, how'd you get the job?”

“Well, I used to be a, uh, barista at a coffee shop an hour from here. Jinyoung-ssi was getting Jackson some green tea thing and offered me the interview. Jackson liked me, I guess.” Mark explains as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

“You could assume as much, you're here, aren't you?” Jaebum says, before pausing. “Are you a fan?”

“Of Jackson?”

Jaebum rolls his eyes. “No, of me.”

Mark squints, not sure if Jaebum was being sarcastic or not. “Well.. I don't listen to either of your music much, but you both have nice voices.”

Jaebum nods, and Mark assumes that was a good answer, because Jaebum didn't try to contradict him. “That's good, Jinyoung tries to not hire people who are big fans of Jackson, it only disrupts the work. I've had to tell quite a few of his assistants to lay off a little bit, sometimes the assistants he's hired get very obsessive.”

“I totally understand.” Mark rubs the back of his neck. “So, uh, Jackson told me that you and him are very close?”

Jaebum nods. “We were trainees during the same time, and debuted only a few months apart. Both our debuts were risky for the company, so we kind of just bonded. He's like my younger brother.”

“Why risky?”

“Well, for me, it was my music. I think it's very different from what you usually hear on the radio, and the company hadn't really debuted a solo artist with such a different sound before. I didn't want my music to have pop kind of feel, I wanted something totally different.” Jaebum grins, running his hands through his hair in such an attractive way. “I think the fans like it so far.”

“And why risky for Jackson?”

“Well, before Jackson came to the company, he hadn't had any background with music or dancing, or anything, really. He was totally fresh and this was new for him. But, he learned quick, and he had this confidence about him. He was an athlete before, you know.”

Mark nods, he had read up a little bit on Jackson the night before. Mark hadn't known much about him, and he thought that maybe knowing the basics were necessary.

Jaebun continues to explain. “They were going to debut him in a group, but he fought really hard against it, he wanted his own thing. He almost got cut for it, but he persuaded them to let him stay on. So, they made him train for another year. You don't usually debut a foreign artist with the little training time he had. Jackson begged for them to debut him, and when they finally released his teaser and previews, he got this amazing response from the public.” He shrugs. “What can I say, Jackson was born to do this.”

“Wow. Sounds like you both have been through a lot.” Mark comments truthfully. He wasn't sure that he could ever handle the pressure that Jackson, Jaebum, and all idols had placed upon them. He gave them credit, it's definitely not an easy job.

“Yeah, Jackson more so than me, but we've had our struggles. We're here now though, two years later.” Jaebum pauses before speaking again, and the question that came out of his mouth switched the subject. “Out of curiosity, how old are you, Mark?”

“22.”

“What year?”

“1993.”

Jaebum suddenly looks very interested, because he drops the look of intimidation, and grins. “You're older than me.”

Mark laughs. “I guess I'm the oldest?”

“I guess you are.” Jaebum agrees.

Then, Jackson and Jinyoung appear in the room, and both Mark and Jaebum glance in their direction as they walk towards them. “Everything okay?” asks Jaebum.

“Yeah.” Jinyoung nods at Jaebum before quickly turning to Mark. “Take out your agenda and a pen, please.”

Jinyoung sounded all business, and so Mark hurriedly pulled out the agenda and pen given to him by Jinyoung earlier. “Okay.”

“Flip it open to four weeks from now.”

“The second, a Saturday?” Mark looks up, confirming.

“Yes. On that day and the day after, Jackson's tour is extended by two days, he was booked for two shows in Thailand, both in Bangkok.”

Mark could tell that Jinyoung wasn't done speaking, so to not waste time, Mark messily scribbled down the two tour dates. “Anything else?”

“Yes. On the fifth he has a show in Tokyo, and the sixth in Kyoto.” With those words came an air of finality, and Mark was sure that was all Jinyoung wanted him to write down.

He's really busy, thinks Mark, as he writes the additional shows down in the agenda. “Got it!” smiles Mark, capping the pen closed, and shutting the agenda.

“I didn't say that was all, though.” Jinyoung says, eyebrows raised.

“Oh.. I'm sorry.” Mark pauses, already feeling embarrassed as he reaches over for the pen and agenda once again. “Is there more?”

Jinyoung shakes his head, his eyes crinkling up as his lips curl into a wide smile. “No, I was just messing with you, Mark-ssi. That's all.”

Mark sighs a sigh of relief, placing both the agenda and pen onto the table — just in case he needed to write again.

“Anyways, Jae, what are you doing here? I mean, you probably came all the way here just to talk to Junior, but.” As the words spilled past Jackson's lips, they received a variety of reactions: Jinyoung blushed furiously, Jaebum's eyes went wide as he embarrassedly stumbled over his words, Jackson was grinning, and Mark was just watching it all, stunned.

“I didn't come here for j-just J-Jinyoung!” stutters Jaebum, and as he said the words, Jackson pointed a finger at him.

“So, you admit, Jinyoung was one of the reasons you came here?”

“Jackson!” Jinyoung whined.

“You guys are blushing like crazy.” Jackson remarks, and both Jinyoung and Jaebum glanced at each other. “Anyways. Why are you really here?”

“I just haven't seen you since last week, I know you're getting ready for the tour and all, so I decided to swing by to visit.”

“Have you also decided whether or not you're going to make a special appearance at my concert in Seoul?” Jackson asks.

Mark knows that in Jackson's tour around Asia, his first stop was Seoul. Jackson, being the top charting success he currently is, accumulated lots of buzz about his first real tour. _Replay_ was Jackson's first studio length album, and it was a commercial success. Overall, music critics liked it, the fans received it positively, and it even charted #1 in a few countries, and on worldwide charts it was #9 — maybe it wasn't the highest charting worldwide, but it was a start. So, with all these accomplishments, the label promised that Jackson had an all Asia tour, starting with Seoul.

Mark assumes that Jackson was trying to get Jaebum to sing a song or two at the show.

“I haven't decided about that yet.” Jaebum shrugs.

Jackson seems insistent on getting Jaebum to agree to make an appearance. “Come ooooon, Jae! It'd be so cool! We can do a remix of _Sky High_ , and it'd be so good!” _Sky High_ , Mark recollects, is Jaebum's latest hit. It was fighting with Jackson's _Rewind_ and a few other singles for top of the charts. You'd think he wouldn't want to perform one of the songs that might hinder him from taking the top spot, but Jackson seemed totally fine about it.

Whether or not Jaebum was fine with it was a different story.

“Would this make you happy?” Jaebum seems to actually be considering this.

“Yes! I'd love to have my best friend performing his hit at my first sold out concert in Seoul! Come on, Jae, please.”

There was silence afterwards, until someone spoke up — it was Jinyoung. “It would be good promotion for both songs.” He points out. “That looks good on paper, as well. Think about it: Jackson Wang and Im Jaebum, the two idols fighting for the top spot on the charts perform their hit songs.”

“I agree.” Mark says, and everyone turns to look at him, and he wonders if he should've ever spoken in the first place. Was he in a position to speak his opinion? Or was he expected to stay quiet? He wasn't sure, but at this point, the three boys were staring at Mark expectedly. “It shows uh, company unity. Especially idol unity, it shows that there's no malice, even if you two are battling for the top single, you know?”

The three all nod their head in Mark's support of Jinyoung's initial suggestion. After, Jinyoung then engages in his own conversation with Mark, leaving Jaebum and Jackson to talk amongst theirselves.

Jaebum turns to Jackson, and quietly whispers, “You got yourself a good one this time.”

Looking at Mark, he nods. “I think so.” He shrugs. “It's only been a day, though. He might not be able to deal with me.”

“I can't even deal with you, and I'm your best friend. Jinyoung barely deals with you. How is Mark, someone who's known you for a day, going to deal with you?”

Jackson rubs the back of his neck, shifting in his spot beside Jaebum. “We'll just have to wait and see, huh?”


	4. Late Night Tea Runs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Could you come over with a cup of green tea? I can't sleep.” 
> 
> At the request, Mark sits up, mouth left slightly agape. He glances at his alarm clock, noticing that it was not the time for work, but instead the time that Mark should still be sleeping. And if he was doing anything, it wasn't delivering green tea half way across the city. “Jackson, it's 3 AM.” 
> 
> Jackson pauses before speaking next. “Your point?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little chapter that starts to show Jackson's slightly difficult side! It's a but longer than the past few chapters (I think) so I hope this is a sufficient update!! Anyway, I'll update sometime next week, or whenever I have the time to. Comments and kudos help me update faster :)!
> 
> Also, ALLLSO, author has some things to say!! A few things to address: I changed Mark's roommate to Youngjae instead of Yugyeom, as I have a totally different purpose for Yugyeom in this fic ;) That being said, the rest of GOT7, aka Yugyeom and BamBam will enter the fic a little later. Also, if someone would like to read my next chapter that'd be great, I really want an opinion on it, so leave a comment below if you wouldn't mind! NOW, enjoy the chapter :)

It'd been a week since Mark was hired as Jackson's assistant, and if there was one choice word to describe how it was going so far, it'd be hectic. Jackson had promotions for _Replay_ left and right, plus the MC jobs and practices he had for the tour. Mark almost felt pitiful for Jackson, as he watched how hard the idol worked on a day to day basis. It was tiring being his assistant, Mark could imagine how tiring it would be to actually _be_ Jackson.

Plus, Mark had heard that Jackson was extremely hard to handle, and so far he hadn't encountered any situations that presented Jackson in a bad light.

So far.

* * *

Mark had returned home from work that Thursday night at around 11. He'd been up since 6, and he was extremely tired. Jackson had an early performance for an internationally streamed program, so Jackson, Jinyoung, and Mark had woken up extra early to prepare. Then Jackson had dance practice that ran unusually long, and as his assistant, Mark had to stay by Jackson's side, attending to him at his beck and call. It wasn't that bad, because Jackson asked for simple items like water, a towel, his phone charger that was in the car. Of course, he asked for things at a frequent pace, never leaving Mark more than a few minutes to sit and relax, but it was nothing Mark couldn't take care of.

This was what Mark signed up for, right?

After practice, Jackson looked incredibly fatigued — “I'm fine,” insists Jackson, as Jinyoung tries to help the boy steady himself, as he was swaying slightly. “Really, Jinyoung.” — so the three headed out to get some lunch. The day passed by rather slowly after that, as Mark had to attend another meeting of Jackson's, then another practice for the tour. When he was finally able to get home, Mark practically collapsed onto his bed.

“Markie?” came Youngjae's unsure voice from under his bed covers.

“Who else has a key to our apartment, sunshine?” Sunshine was Mark's nickname for Youngjae, because Youngjae was just a ray of sunshine — also because coincidentally, Youngjae and Mark first met after Youngjae accidentally bumped into Mark on an overly sunny day.

“...The building manager?”

“Why would he be sleeping in my bed?” Mark asked, skeptically.

“It's comfy?” Youngjae suggests, with a light chuckle.

Mark picks one of the pillows from beside him, and launched it at Youngjae's curled up body beneath the bedcovers from across the room. “Hey!” exclaims Youngjae with a laugh as the pillow hits him. “Why do you never want to have a pillow fight when I'm _actually_ up?”

“Because.” Mark slides underneath his own blanket. “Go to sleep, sunshine, you have work tomorrow.”

Ignoring the first part of Mark's statement, Youngjae continues speaking. “So do you.” He points out. “We both have work!”

“Youngjae.”

“Mark.”

“Get some sleep.”

It was quiet until Youngjae mumbled a practically inaudible good night under his breath, and assumedly, fell asleep. It wasn't that easy for Mark to fall asleep, however. It took about twenty minutes of aimlessly staring at the dark ceiling to actually make Mark fall asleep.

* * *

In the middle of the night, the screen of Mark's phone lit up, and began to obnoxiously crank out the sound that his phone made when someone called. However, this wasn't just _any_ ringtone, it was the ringtone version of _Replay_ that Jackson had _insisted_ Mark set for him when he called. Groggily, Mark turned over, reaching over for his cell that had peacefully been laying on his nightstand before Jackson called. Was it time for work already? Should he wake Youngjae up as well?

Mark answered. “Hello?”

“Mark-ssi!” Jackson greeted with an overly chipper tone.

“Hi, Jackson-ssi.”

“What are you doing right now?” inquires Jackson.

“...Sleeping. Well, I mean, I was sleeping. But I'm not right now, because I'm talking to you, obviously.” His mind was completely foggy, and he'd been so sleep deprived, he couldn't really think straight.

“Could you come over with a cup of green tea? I can't sleep.”

At the request, Mark sits up, mouth left slightly agape. He glances at his alarm clock, noticing that it was not the time for work, but instead the time that Mark should still be sleeping. And if he was doing anything, it wasn't delivering green tea half way across the city. “Jackson, it's 3 AM.”

Jackson pauses before speaking next. “Your point?”

“Why are you still up?”

“Didn't I just say I couldn't sleep? Pay attention, Mark.” Jackson scoffs. “Anyway, I like my tea boiled for exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds, not a second over. And only put one tea spoon of sugar, I'm trying to live healthy. Do you have sugar substitute instead of regular sugar? It's better for you, you know?”

“Markie, who are you talking to?” asks Youngjae, his voice a whisper from across the room. Mark feels bad, as he had been speaking at full volume, forgetting that Youngjae was in the bed beside him, sleeping.

Mark covers the phone's speaker, whispering quietly. “Jackson.”

Even in the dark, Mark sees Youngjae sit up, as if he was interested to hear the conversation between his best friend and a superstar.

“Are you listening, Mark?” comes Jackson's low voice from the speaker.

“Uh, yes. Green tea, boiled for two minutes and sixteen seconds, one spoon of sugar.”

And Jackson feels the need to correct Mark. “I said fifteen seconds.”

Mark, even though Jackson wasn't able to see him, rolls his eyes. “Is one second over really a difference?”

Jackson's answer was instantaneous. “Yes. You of all people know that, you were a barista. If someone tells you skim milk, and you give them 2 percent, isn't that a difference?” Jackson had a point, but Mark didn't want to admit it.

“Different milk changes the whole order though, boiling the tea one second over doesn't.” Mark fights back.

“ _Maaaaark_! Are you coming over or not?” Jackson whines.

“Yes, yes.”

“I'm gonna text you my address, okay?”

“Okay, I'll wait for the text.”

“Bye!”

When Jackson hangs up, Mark places his phone back onto the nightstand, and flops back onto his pillow.

“What happened?” asks Youngjae.

“I have to go bring him green tea, boiled at exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds, with one spoon of sugar.” He groans.

“At this time?” Youngjae sounds surprised himself, and Mark doesn't really blame him.

“Yes.”

“...Are you going?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you laying down still?”

“Sunshine. You're not acting very sunshine-like right now.”

“Sometimes sunshine can be bothersome, no? You could be walking, and it'll shine in your face.”

“Youngjae stop with the philosophical words.” Mark jokingly pleads with his best friend, untangling himself from his blanket to go prepare the tea.

“That's what you get when you talk to me so early in the morning, Markie.” Youngjae pauses, calling Mark's name right as the boy was about to exit their room.

Mark looks back. “Yeah?”

“Do you want me to drive you? To Jackson's?” Youngjae offers with a yawn.

“No, Youngjae, you work the morning shift don't you?” Mark asks, and Youngjae nods. “That means you have to wake up in two hours. Get some sleep.”

“Will you be back before I go to work?” Youngjae was already tucking himself back under his blanket, and Mark chuckled.

“I'll try to be. If not, I'll text you.”

“Okay..” Youngjae yawns sleepily.

Mark exits the room, closing the bedroom door. He walks to the kitchen, practically tip toeing so he doesn't wake up Youngjae for the second time. Mark grabbed a to-go cup from one of the cabinets, and from the cabinet next to it, retrieved the nice green tea he had brought — borrowed? — from the café. As he prepares to boil the hot water in the kettle, he glances over at his phone. Should he really boil it for exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds as per Jackson's request?

Mark decides to listen to Jackson's wishes, unlocking his phone to tap two minutes and fifteen seconds into the stopwatch app. He turns the volume down, so when the timed goes off it doesn't disturb Youngjae's slumber.

While the water boils, Mark rushes over to his nearest sweatshirt, that was conveniently draped over a chair. He'd worn sweatpants to bed, so he shrugged on the sweatshirt, and laced up the sneakers he had placed by the door. _This was kind of ridiculous_ , Mark thinks, _Jackson is a grown man so surely he could make his own green tea_! But, this was the first bump he had encountered over the span of the first week of work.

When the timer goes off, vibrating on the granite countertop obnoxiously, Mark rushes over to turn off the flame. He pours the water into the to-go cup, and places the green tea bag to dissolve into the water. He then opens the cabinet again to search for the sugar substitute that Mark was sure Youngjae had brought from the café. When he finds it, he laughs aloud, getting a spoon to put the sugar on.

Before leaving, Mark sips the tea through a straw, just to assure himself that he wasn't about to serve Jackson some terrible tea at this ungodly hour.

Mark put Jackson's address into his GPS, sighing when the expected arrival time was in about thirty or so minutes. Seoul wasn't as lively as usual at this hour, but as Mark drove through the city, some cars passed by slowly, and he encountered some people leisurely strolling the streets. After the hectic week he had just experienced, the silence and peace found in the car ride was precisely what Mark had needed.

When he arrived at the JYP dorms, Mark drive into the parking garage attached to the left side of the building. He tried to find any free spaces, but there were none except a few free employee spaces. With a sigh, Mark turned his car and parked in the employee section with much hesitance. Jackson had told him he would be able to park his car there, but even so, Mark was truly praying he wouldn't come out and his car would be towed.

With the car parked and to-go cup of tea in hand, Mark walked out of the parking garage, and towards the idol dorms. To his own surprise, Jackson was already outside waiting for him, a black Bulls cap on his head and a grey sweater wrapped around his body. “You actually came!”

Mark lets a light laugh pass his lips at Jackson's exclamation. “Why wouldn't I?”

“Besides the obvious fact that it's 3 AM?” Jackson grins, standing up from the bench he had been sitting on.

“Why are you out here? It was raining earlier, you should be inside.”

“I couldn't sleep, I _told_ you. I came out here for some air. Also, you can't just walk into the dorms, you need to be let in.”

Mark nods, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle such a hyper Jackson at this time. He holds the cup out to Jackson. “I prepared it the way you asked. I even set a timer and everything.”

Jackson smiles gratefully, accepting the cup. “I was only joking about the two minutes and fifteen seconds thing.”

“Ah! Seriously?” Mark sighs.

“I just wanted to see if you'd actually listen to me or not.” Jackson sips the tea after speaking, humming as he pauses his drinking for a second. “This is really good.” He then turns to walk back into the dorms, leaving Mark in the middle of the sidewalk. Mark scoffs, rolling his eyes as he tins to walk back to his car. He wakes up at 3 AM to make him tea, then drive halfway across the city, and he doesn't even get a _thank you_ —

“Hey! Mark-ssi, where are you going?” Jackson whisper yells.

“Home?”

“Hey, hey, no. It's 3 AM. Come inside, please?” Jackson whines, avidly gesturing to the building, in hopes of Mark entering with him.

“Why?” Mark challenges.

“Because.” Jackson shrugs.

Mark sighs, slumping his shoulders in defeat as he walks back towards Jackson. The idol was holding the door wide open for Mark, and as he entered, Mark thanked him. Jackson shuts the door, walking ahead of Mark, signaling for Mark to follow quietly. They only make it about halfway up the hallway before suddenly stopping in front of a door littered with pictures of a small, dark haired boy. Some had this boy with his family, or in his school outfit, and a few even had him in a fencing outfit holding a trophy. Looking further up the door, Mark spots the cover art for _Replay_ , and a name in Hangul, English, and Chinese — _this is Jackson's dorm_ , Mark realizes.

Jackson opens the door, allowing Mark to step in before him. The dorm wasn't as spacious as you'd assume, but it was fairly simple, for someone of Jackson's taste. The walls weren't painted, so they were plain white, with simple black bedroom pieces. The only things that decorated the room were the trophies that Jackson had displayed on a table, and the wall that his bed was placed up against held hung picture frames with pictures similar to the ones on the door. Some clothes littered the floor, and while Mark admired the picture, he saw Jackson in the corner of his eye scurrying around the room to pick things up.

“Sorry for the mess.” Jackson apologizes. “I usually only have Jaebum and Jinyoung over, and they're used to the mess.”

Youngjae preferred cleanliness, as did Mark, so their shared apartment was usually mess free. But, Mark didn't mind the mess, and he told Jackson as much.

After Jackson finished picking up, he sat down on the bed, patting the spot next to him for Mark to sit. Mark saunters over to the bed, sitting down beside Jackson. “So. Why'd you want me to come in?”

Jackson sips his tea, expecting Mark with eyes now hooded beneath heavy lids — even without spending more than a few minutes in Jackson's presence, Mark could see how drained and tired the idol looked. “Well.. Truthfully?”

“Truthfully.”

“With all this preparation for the tour, I haven't been able to sleep lately. This is my first big tour, Mark. I had only stayed around here before and I — I'm nervous.”

Mark offers Jackson a small smile. “Well, you're in demand now. You're doing really well. That's what you wanted, right?”

Jackson looks unsure of himself as he nods, and it makes Mark frown. Suddenly, Mark is reminded of Jinyoung's words — “ _Jackson doesn't open up to many people, this all gets a lot for him sometimes_ ”.

“Jackson..“ In one simple word, all formality in the conversation exited through the window. Mark was older and tired, so the informality of the conversation would stay. He also hopes that the informality might allow Jackson to open up a little bit more to Mark. “What do you have tomorrow?”

“Vocal practice for two hours. We're going through the first few songs. Then I might have dance practice for another hour. Then I'm MCing Inkigayo. That's it, I think.” Jackson answers sheepishly, already seeming drained as he thinks about tomorrow's activities.

“Do you think you could cut dance practice? Maybe rest before the MC job?”

“But practice..”

“Jackson, you look absolutely tired right now. You need to rest.” Mark answers sternly. “You have the first leg of the tour in like.. 13 days. You can work hard, but you need rest as well.”

Mark half expected for Jackson to lash out at him, but rather, Jackson simply nodded solemnly. Even he could acknowledge that he needed rest. “I'll talk to Jinyoung, if you want?”

“I'll talk to him, it's okay.”

“Good.” Mark stands up, patting Jackson in the shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Where are you going?”

“Home?”

This all sounded like a replay of the conversation they had outside. Jackson shakes his head. “It's 3:30 AM, Mark. You could stay here, it's okay, I don't mind.”

Mark shakes his head vigorously, eyes wide. “No, no, I don't think I could.”

“I mean, you work with me, and Jinyoung is coming to pick me up in the morning, so it would save both you, Jinyoung, and I time. Instead of Jinyoung going from his house, to here, to pick you up at the office, then to practice, we could all just head to practice. Maybe with the extra time, I could even rest like you want.”

When Mark doesn't reply, Jackson _tsks_ with his tongue in an almost disappointing manner. “Do you _really_ want to make things harder for Jinyoung-ee, Mark-ssi?”

 _Damn it_ , Mark mentally curses how good Jackson is in the methods of persuasion. “Fine. Where can I sleep?”

“Mark, would you have a problem sleeping next to me, or do you have an issue sleeping next to extremely good looking idols?”

Mark sputters, and he can practically feel his face turning a bright shade of red. Mark is thankful that the lights are dim in here, so Jackson probably can't see the tint of his cheeks.

“You're blushing. Do you have idol syndrome?” 

Mark's blush only gets more vicious after that. It wasn't that Mark liked Jackson or anything, but Jackson was quite attractive now that Mark thinks about it and — _oh, his boss is really really attractive_. “I think I'm okay with it.” Mark smiles.

“Okay.” Jackson throws a pillow and blanket in Mark's direction, both items were thrown high enough to hit Mark in the face, and they did. He bends down to pick it up, and slides into the bed. He places an extra pillow in between the two, and Jackson stares at Mark doing so, bursting out into laughter that should be illegal at this time of the morning.

“What's so funny?” asks Mark with eyebrows raised in confusion.

Jackson simply shakes his head, biting down on his lips to stop laughing. He didn't bother to explain to Mark what was so funny, but at this point, Mark really didn't care, he just wanted sleep. “Nothing, nothing.” While Jackson says so, he unzips his sweatshirt and throws it on the couch — _that's how his room gets so messy_ , thinks Mark. Jackson reaches for the hem of his black tank, and pulls it up, and over his head.

Mark looks away from Jackson's shirtless torso, instead settling under the blanket. Mark turns his back towards Jackson, partially for the reason that he didn't want to look at Jackson's physique, but also because Mark was tired and was hoping Jackson wouldn't speak anymore.

The peace was disturbed when Jackson spoke once again. “Mark?”

Mark sighs lowly. “Yes..?”

“Good night.”

And this time, both Jackson and Mark actually fall asleep. 


	5. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You think he's okay in there?”
> 
> “Of course he's fine, hyung!” And without permission, Jinyoung twists the door knob, opening the door only slightly.
> 
> Both Jaebum and Jinyoung peered into the room curiously, their mouths hanging wide in shock at the scene inside the room. Jackson and Mark were both lying in bed, their bodies entangled in such a way that could only be explained with red tinted cheeks and embarrassed grins. Jaebum turned to Jinyoung, eyebrows raised high in an almost comical way. “It's only been a week or two, hasn't it?”
> 
> Jinyoung nods in shock, strutting over to the bed, arms stretched out as he begins to viciously shake Jackson. The idol's eyes open after a few shakes, wide in shock as he stares up into Jinyoung's eyes. “Oh.. Hi, Jinyoung-ee.”
> 
> Jinyoung eyes travel over to Mark, who's legs were still tangled with Jackson's. Jackson's eyes soon follow Jinyoung's stare, and suddenly, the idol is exercising his voice by screaming. Mark wakes up with a jolt, sitting up almost instantly and for some reason, screaming in unison with Jackson. As Mark sees the situation of his and Jackson's bodies, he stops screaming to quickly slide his body away from Jackson, who was still screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE in advance, forgive me. I don't mean to make Jackson rude, but it was really necessary for this chapter. Jackson is a sweetheart, so this is all 100% fictional. Kudos and comments especially fuel the pace in which I write these chapters, so please, please tell me how I'm doing with this fic! I had to rewrite this chapter a few times, that's why the update took so long. I'm not happy with the way it came out, truthfully, but I hope you all enjoy the chapter :)

Now, if there was one adjective to describe Jackson, all things considered, it'd be social. And Jinyoung of all people was utterly aware of just how social Jackson was. With that in mind, the idol usually had his phone in hand, or at least usually located somewhat near him. So, when Jinyoung called Jackson at quarter to nine to inform him that he was on his way to pick him up for practice, Jinyoung was shocked, to say the least, when Jackson didn't pick up.

He left a voicemail, assuming that Jackson was probably getting dressed or brushing his teeth, and would return Jinyoung's call in a few minutes. However, when he arrived at the dorms several minutes after the first call, and Jackson still hadn't called back or picked up when Jinyoung called a second time, he was frustrated. With a small sigh, Jinyoung slides his finger over the contact application, scrolling down the list of names before tapping the call icon for the name directly below Jackson.

Jaebum picked up almost instantly, as if he had been waiting for Jinyoung's call. “Jinyoung! Did you mistakenly call me, or?”

“Hyung.” Jinyoung smiles at the sound of Jaebum's morning voice. It was easy to identify that he had woken up within the past few minutes. “No, I meant to call you. Jackson isn't picking up his phone and I'm outside the dorms, can you let me in?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'll be right out.” Jinyoung can hear Jaebum's bed creak as he hops off it, and the squeaky sound of his flip flops as he exits his dorm.

Through the glass door, Jinyoung saw the tall, slender silhouette of a person jogging through the hallway. Assuming this was Jaebum, Jinyoung hangs up the call and slides his phone into his jacket pocket. The door abruptly opens, and as Jinyoung expected, Jaebum stands before him, clothed in grey basketball shorts and a plain white shirt, his face dressed with a wide smile. “I never thought I'd have the honor to say that Park Jinyoung hung up on me.”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes playfully at Jaebum's comment, pushing past him to gain access into the hallway. “Good morning, hyung.”

“Is it really a good morning?” Jaebum asks, a long yawn accompanying his question. While speaking, Jaebum trails behind Jinyoung as the latter leads the way to Jackson's dorm room.

Jinyoung stops directly in front of Jackson's door, turning to face Jaebum, who was now beside him rather than behind him. “Today's Inkigayo, you're filling in and cohosting with Jackson, aren't you excited?”

At the mention of Inkigayo, Jaebum shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, an almost bored expression his face. “We're both performing tonight, and we're probably going to be up for the first place spot.”

Jaebum didn't look excited to be competing against Jackson, and Jinyoung didn't blame him. They'd been put up against each other for the past three music shows, and to say the least, neither Jaebum nor Jackson was happy about winning over the other. It was by pure coincidence that Jaebum's comeback was scheduled only a week before Jackson's. So far, Jaebum had won first twice, and Jackson once. Inkigayo was the last show of the week, and also Jackson's opportunity to bring the tally level — if Jackson won tonight, both he and Jaebum would have two wins apiece, four between the two themselves.

Then again, another factor was that someone else could take the first place spot, but considering how _Sky High_ and _Replay_ had been dominating the charts recently, Jinyoung highly doubted it.

“I forgot.” Jinyoung admits truthfully. “Well, at least you both are doing well. It'd be terrible if only one of you was doing this well, and the other's comeback was suffering.”

Jaebum's bored look vanishes with that comment, his lips turning up into a wide grin. “I guess that's true, you're smart, Jinyoung.”

And Jinyoung wants to make a comment saying that he already knows he's smart, a kind of comment he'd make while speaking to Jackson. But, he doesn't want Jaebum to think he's conceited, because he's really _not_ and he suddenly cares very much about what Jaebum thinks of him. “Thank you, Jaebum.” is what he actually ends up saying, bowing his head almost meekly in thanks.

Jaebum simply nods his head, proceeding to turn his body away from Jinyoung, and instead towards the door. Jaebum brought his hand up, rapping his knuckles on the door three times. However, his knocks were to no avail, because even after knocking once more and waiting an additional few seconds, the door did not open. Jaebum turned to Jinyoung. “You think he's okay in there?”

“Of course he's fine, hyung!” And without permission, Jinyoung twists the door knob, opening the door only slightly.

Both Jaebum and Jinyoung peered into the room curiously, their mouths hanging wide in shock at the scene inside the room. Jackson and Mark were both lying in bed, their bodies entangled in such a way that could only be explained with red tinted cheeks and embarrassed grins. Jaebum turned to Jinyoung, eyebrows raised high in an almost comical way. “It's only been a week or two, hasn't it?”

Jinyoung nods in shock, strutting over to the bed, arms stretched out as he begins to viciously shake Jackson. The idol's eyes open after a few shakes, wide in shock as he stares up into Jinyoung's eyes. “Oh.. Hi, Jinyoung-ee.”

Jinyoung eyes travel over to Mark, who's legs were still tangled with Jackson's. Jackson's eyes soon follow Jinyoung's stare, and suddenly, the idol is exercising his voice by screaming. Mark wakes up with a jolt, sitting up almost instantly and for some reason, screaming in unison with Jackson. As Mark sees the situation of his and Jackson's bodies, he stops screaming to quickly slide his body away from Jackson, who was still screaming.

“Why are you screaming?!” Mark's question was quite obviously directed towards Jackson. His eyes were wide in confusion, and simply by looking at him, Jinyoung can tell that what he and Jaebum thought happened probably wasn't what really happened.

From somewhere behind Jinyoung, Jaebum scoffs, arms folded. “As if you weren't _just_ screaming.”

Mark glances towards Jaebum, as if he was surprised by Jaebum's presence — however, if someone's presence was to be unexpected, it was Mark's, not Jaebum's.

Jinyoung was the one in the room who hadn't said anything yet, merely watching the scene unfold before him. He abruptly clears his throat, which subsequently halts Jackson's screaming. “Jackson. You have vocal practice in an hour, so you need to eat, shower, and get dressed, like right now.” Jinyoung had this look of disappointment in his eyes, and if Mark and Jaebum saw it, Jackson definitely saw it. And by the way Jackson's demeanor switched after taking the look in Jinyoung's eyes into account, it was easily said that Jackson was affected as well. Mark remembers Jinyoung saying that for the longest time, he was the only one who really understood Jackson, and their friendship and Jinyoung's thoughts of him were important to Jackson. So, if Jinyoung was upset with him, Jackson himself would be bothered.

Jackson glances over at Mark for a fraction of a second before nodding his head, moving the sheets off his body so he was able to stand up. Scurrying over to the bathroom, Jackson soon closes the door, leaving Mark alone with Jaebum and Jinyoung.

“Mark. Listen, I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but..” Even through all the confusion, Jinyoung was very calm. His voice was still soothing as ever, and the slightly informal tone he usually used with Mark was not present in his voice now. He looked stressed, and Mark wasn't quite sure why. But suddenly, Mark gets it, he realizes why both Jaebum and Jinyoung look so utterly scandalized as they stare at Mark — they actually think Mark slept with Jackson!

“Listen, guys.. What you think this is,” Mark gestures to the bed, then to the bathroom, obviously referring to Jackson, who's presence was needed to Mark back up, but was not available at the moment. “Is not what really happened. Jackson called me at 3 in the morning because he couldn't sleep, and was craving green tea. I made him the tea and came here, and since it was so late he let me crash here. That's all, I swear.”

Jinyoung surveys Mark for about a minutes, staring intently at the boy. After a while of silence that was too uncomfortable for Jinyoung's liking, he runs his hands through his hair, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Jaebum, I don't think they, _you know._ .” Jinyoung pauses, as he uses hand gestures to try and explain what he meant without _directly_ saying it out loud.

Jaebum nods his head in agreement with Jinyoung's conclusion. “Calling his assistants to make him tea is something Jackson has done before. But three in the morning is earlier than usual.”

“He usually kicks them out afterwards, though.” Jinyoung adds with a shrug.

For the second time, an odd tension hung in the air, and the silence that came along with it. Jinyoung and Jaebum stared at Mark, and Mark at them, but nobody spoke. The silence was broken as Jackson reenters the room once again, now clothed in sweats, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. Jackson grabs a cap from his dresser, mussing his hair a bit before placing the cap onto his head. Jackson turns to look at the three others in the room. Mark had never seen such a look in Jackson's eyes, the look was almost of boredom, and seeing it in someone as lively as Jackson was something Mark didn't exactly like seeing. First, he looks at Jaebum. “Jaebum, what are you waiting for? Go get dressed, this isn't relaxing time, let's go.”

Jaebum seems taken aback by the sudden order, because no matter what the age gap was, Jaebum was still older than Jackson. Mark assumed Jaebum would come back with an almost sarcastic comment, but rather he waved goodbye to Jinyoung and Mark, and exited Jackson's dorm. Once Jaebum leaves, Jackson turns to Jinyoung. “Go start the car please, at this pace, I'll be late for practice and JYPd-nim will kick my ass if I'm late again.”

Jinyoung nods, and is soon the second to exit Jackson's dorm. Mark is mesmerized at how the two take orders so well from Jackson, and why they don't argue back, or instead tell him what to do. It was interesting to watch, of course, until Jackson turned to Mark. Suddenly, Mark is under Jackson's scrutinizing stare, and Mark realizes he doesn't like being stared at so intently by Jackson. “You're not _actually_ wearing that out, are you, Mark-ssi?”

Mark glances down at his outfit with curious eyes. Granted, he did in fact not look presentable at all, with his messy bed hair, and mismatched grey sweatshirt and green sweatpants. Okay, so maybe he did look a bit not put together, but the tone of voice used by Jackson while talking to him made Mark feel odd. “Um.. Do I have enough time to go home and change?”

“No, no,” Jackson sighs almost irritably, turning away from Mark to rummage through the drawers, seemingly picking out an outfit. “I'll give you something to wear, we look about the same size.”

“Are you okay?” Mark asks cautiously, taking a slow step towards Jackson. Suddenly, Jackson steps back, creating a larger space between the two of them. Jackson holds out a simple outfit, dark jeans with a NBA sweatshirt, and on the top of the folded clothes, a matching cap.

“Get dressed, and meet us outside. Don't take too long, we have to go.” Jackson speaks quickly, avoiding contact with Mark. Jackson flees the room, not allowing Mark any time to formulate a response.

Mark changes quickly, proceeding to fold his clothes neatly before exiting Jackson's form. As he shuts the door, he runs into Jaebum, who was exiting his dorm as well. Jaebum turns to Mark, reaching out to softly grab the older's arm. “Mark-ssi.”

Mark turns to Jaebum as his name is called, with eyes wide and curious. Mark glances down at Jaebum's hold on his arm with raised eyebrows, and as Jaebum follows his gaze, he realizes he was holding onto Mark's arm, and lets go suddenly, apologizing. “What's wrong, Jae?”

Jaebum rocks back and forth on his heels as if he felt uncomfortable, but continues to make utterly complete eye contact with Mark. “About Jackson before..”

And Mark was glad Jaebum brought this up, because Jackson's behavior had both been bothering Mark, but also had him worried. Over the past few weeks, Mark and Jackson had ditched the formality of their relationship. They'd become friends — or at least, Mark liked to think so — as you would expect for two people who spend almost every minute of every day together. “Is he okay? I've never seen him like this upset since — well, at least since I met him.”

“It's just.. He's really really stressed, Mark. Like, majorly stressed,“ Jaebum explains. “And you could tell how embarrassed he was when we walked in, and Jinyoung looked really disappointed in him. Jackson is always up and ready for practice, Jinyoung never has to call twice, or even wait. And I think that his low level of discipline just made him upset.”

“They're that close, huh?”

“Yeah. Both Jackson and Jinyoung are really stressed with the tour coming up. And well.. After you left yesterday, Jinyoung and Jackson both had to be talked to by management yesterday and — _well_ , this just made everything more stressful.”

Mark is suddenly very curious. Why were Jinyoung and Jackson talked to? What they'd do wrong?

Mark hadn't realized he had voiced his curiosities aloud until Jaebum replied to him. “Jinyoung? Oh no, Jinyoung didn't do anything wrong. It was just that management was saying that Jackson has to —”

The door opens abruptly, halting Jaebum mid sentence. In enters Jackson, who did not look as upset as earlier, but rather, he was expressionless. “Um.. Come on guys. Jinyoung has the car up front.” Jackson languidly motions for the two to hurry, and understanding that the four had places to be, both Mark and Jaebum hurried. When Mark briefly glances away, Mark and Jaebum share a knowing look.

Jaebum hurries to the car, wanting to sit beside Jinyoung in the front. That leaves Mark and Jackson, and soon enough to fall into step together. “Jackson.”

Jackson looks towards Mark slowly. “Yeah?”

“What's wrong?” Mark tries this once again, hoping this time Jackson'll actually respond.

Jackson shrugs. “I'm fine.” And when Mark raises his eyebrows, Jackson lightly shoves Mark to the side, no sign of malice. “Really. Don't worry. Just do your job, focus on that, I'm fine.”

It was a very convincing assurance, but Mark figures he'll accept it. And he's forced to, as Mark and Jackson soon reach the car, and the two quickly slide into the backseat.

“Okay. What do you guys want for breakfast?” Jinyoung asks, as soon as all four are buckled and safe in the car.

“I could go for green tea.“ Jaebum suggests, twisting slightly to angle himself towards Jackson in the backseat. “Can't you, Jackson?”

“I'll eat after practice.” Jackson responds quietly, continuing to glance out the car window, as if he were taking in the sights that he passed by. 

“Jackson, you should really eat before you start to practice —” Mark attempts to suggest, but is cut off by a very upset sounding Jackson.

“— Excuse me? No, I'm saying I'm not going to eat right now, so I'm not eating right now. It's not that hard to listen to me, is it?” Jackson replies, irritated. “Now, leave me alone.”

* * *

Jaebum, Jinyoung, nor Mark really held a solid conversation with Jackson after he had been asked to be left alone. Jackson had worked hard all the hours he had been practicing, putting a lot of effort into whatever he was asked to do. Any trace of his brief temper tantrum in the car earlier was seemingly gone, but Mark still kept his distance, as did Jaebum and Jinyoung. The three sat together while Jackson practiced, talking amongst themselves. 

“Is he okay?” Mark asks at some point, still seemingly bothered by the day's earlier events. 

Jinyoung surveys Jackson, who was perfecting the last moves for _Replay_ , Mark assumes for both the tour and for tonight's performance at Inkigayo. As the music winds down, Jackson looks just about ready to wrap up the dance practice. “I guess so? He seemed a little impatient to get here earlier, but I think he's fine.”

The music shuts off after a few seconds of the dance ending, and both Jackson and his dancers reach for their water bottles. They all looked absolutely exhausted, but Jackson even more so. He bows to his dancers, thanking them for their time, before walking slowly to Jaebum, Jinyoung, and Mark. “You ready?” asks Jaebum. 

“I guess —” Jackson's sentence is cut off prematurely when the door of the dance studio opens and closes with a bang. With the sound of heavy footsteps, someone enters the room. All four of the boys turn to acknowledge the presence of the man who just walked in, and Jackson sighs under his breath. As the man approaches, Jackson, Jaebum, and Jinyoung rise to bow in respect.

Almost instantaneously, Mark could identify the tension that was visible from Jackson's tight posture. The idol's eyes were trained on the ground, as if he were unable to look the man in the first. Mark wasn't sure who he was, and wasn't sure how to go about asking, so rather he stood there quietly.

“Who is this?” The man gestures to Mark with a raised eyebrow, and suddenly, four sets of eyes were focused on Mark.

“This is Mark Tuan, my new assistant.” Jackson apparently does all the introduction for Mark, so all Mark does is nod in agreement.

“Nice to meet you, Mark.” The man says, extending his hand toward Mark. Within seconds, the man's attention is off Mark, and so is everyone else's — now everyone is looking at one another rather than only at Mark. The man stares Jackson down, however Jackson keeps his gaze lowered, as if he were scared to make eye contact. “Anyway.” He clears his throat. “I was sent here to inform Jackson, and Jinyoung, that a meeting regarding Jackson has been called.”

“But I have Inkigayo, I have to run through today's show!” protests Jackson.

“Well, meet at the company headquarters immediately after Inkigayo.” The man says with a straight face. “That's all, they just told me to inform you.”

“Ah. We'll be there.” Jinyoung nods, offering a small, but awkward smile. The man bows, then with an almost inaudible farewell, exits the room.

And now, Mark is suddenly confused, he hadn't been notified to write down a meeting. Was it supposed to be in the planner and he didn't write it down? Or was it there and he forgot — “What meeting?”

It seems that momentarily, Mark's question was pushed to the side to make room for a rant from Jackson. “Another maintenance meeting? What are they going to complain about now? We met with them literally yesterday.”

“I told you Jackson to watch yourself.” sighed Jaebum.

“I have been! I haven't done anything wrong, Jae!” Jackson sighs, apparently looking very frustrated. “I'm one of the only idols that have already debuted that still gets these stupid maintenance meetings, and —”

While Jackson continues to rant, Jinyoung slowly inches over to Mark, who still looked confused. “Are you lost, Mark-ssi?”

“Admittedly.” a small laugh escapes Mark's lips, as he focuses on Jinyoung beside him.

“Well, Jackson is called to headquarters every few weeks for a progress report. They call them maintenance meetings, and Jackson really hates them.”

“Why do they make him go?” Mark asks.

“They still think his upcoming tour is high risk, they were telling him that if his tour doesn't surpass the numbers they're estimating, his future at the company could be jeopardized.” Jinyoung shrugged. “They're probably going to talk to him about that. Unless Jackson did something wrong that I don't know about.”

Both Mark and Jinyoung glanced over at Jackson, who still looked particularly frustrated as he exchanged words with Jaebum, who seemed to be attempting to calm him down.

“Do I have to attend this meeting?”

“Probably. I mean you are part of Jackson's team now, I would assume you'd have be there. We'll see, I guess.”

And Mark feels bad for Jackson, just a bit. He has so much on his plate, thinks Mark, it's understandable to see why he'd be so frustrated.

* * *

Another thing Jackson was good at, Mark found out, was making his feelings. Not a short while after practice for the tour let out, Jackson was needed on set for Inkigayo to go through tonight's show. But Jackson — and Jaebum, as well — had double the work tonight, as the two were both MCs and featured performers.

Jackson had been sulking in the car the whole ride to the Inkigayo studio, refusing to make any more conversation than small chit chat. However, as soon as he stepped into the studio it was as if his attitude turned around, as the idol smiled and waved at those around him.

Mark glanced over at Jinyoung, who was the only one who stayed with him as Jaebum and Jinyoung were swept away to prepare for the show in a few hours. “His attitude took a turn, huh?”

“Not really. A lot of fans come out to see Jackson at Inkigayo, even if he's upset, he smiles for them so they don't have a bad memory of seeing him.” Jinyoung explains. “He cares for his fans a lot.”

Mark looks at Jackson, who seemed so far away as he was completely and utterly focused on the script in front of him. “That's nice..”

“It is. Now, come on,” Jinyoung switches topics quickly. “Come with me to discuss Jackson's absence from Inkigayo while he's on tour. We'll be back in time for the start of the show.”

* * *

And they were back in time for the show, just as Jinyoung had promised. Their timing was impeccable, making it behind the set right as the Jackson and Jaebum walked out into the stage. The two watched the show from a small monitor, making comments every now and then about how a group had stylish outfits for their performance, or how an idol had petr cry executed their dance choreography.

But, Mark realized Jinyoung was the most talkative when Jaebum was performing. Jinyoung made comments about everything, from Jaebum's dance moves to how well his vocals sounded, and even to how well his outfit suited him. Jinyoung returned to his curt comments after Jaebum exited the stage. Mark didn't mention it, but he had definitely picked up on Jinyoung's eager and excited nature whenever he saw Jaebum. Of course, it could simply be a friend excited for another friend's success, so Mark didn't inquire further.

Jackson performed only a song or two following Jaebum's performance, and Mark was completely mesmerized by Jackson's stage presence. His moves were fluid, as conveyed by his countless hours in the dance studio, going over and over the same steps until the reflection in the mirror shouted pure mastery of the dance. His vocals were light, but crisp as he hopped from word the word through the song. His enthusiasm was almost infectious, and in that moment, Mark realized why Jackson has such a large fan following. The performance was over sooner than Mark had hoped, and with Jackson's performance, Inkigayo soon wounded to a close.

All the acts of tonight lined up on the front stage, hands clasped together tightly in hope that they were the ones to win tonight's Inkigayo. The third MC for the night announced the night's nominees for first place, two of them being Jackson and Jaebum. The votes are tallied on the screen beside them, and the whole room erupts with cheers as the winner for the night is revealed.

“The winner of tonight is..”


	6. And you, Mark?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Mark read the article, his eyes were unusually wide as he encountered the many accusations aimed at his boss. The article claimed Jackson was the perpetrator of doing many awful things towards his assistants. Some crazy accusations were Jackson spilling drinks on his assistant's shoes, breaking their phones, making them run out for ridiculously long orders constantly, and having a generally bad attitude towards those he worked for and had work for him. Mark glanced over at Jackson, whose head was hung low in what looked like embarrassment. “These things aren't true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR HAS SOME NOTES!! MY PHONE IS BROKEN AND I'M NOT SURE WHEN IT IS GETTING FIXED SO I'M NOT SURE WHEN THE NEXT UPDATE OF THIS FIC WILL BE. For that, I'm making this up hopefully with the first kind of cute Markson moment of the fic! ALSO, who do you guys think the mysterious man who interrupted Jackson's conversation is??? He'll be revealed soon, but do you guys have any guesses? Kudos and comments are ALWAYS appreciated. (Last thing: I've decided Wednesdays will be update days, so expect weekly Wednesday updates. Unless I get excited and post early, but wait for Wednesdays hopefully. My twitter is @jacksonsult, and my tumblr is ohssehun, if you ever want some upcoming spoilers or updates, hit me up me there!) Enjoy the chapter.

Mark held his breath in for what felt like an eternity, only exhaling when the name of tonight's winner was announced. “Jackson Wang, Replay! Congratulations!”

If Jackson wasn't surprised, he was a very good actor, because when the camera panned to him, his lips were parted and his eyes were wide in surprise. The third MC waltzed over to Jackson, holding the trophy out to him. Beside him, Jaebum claps Jackson on the back before wrapping his arm around Jackson's shoulder, and nudging him to accept his trophy.

It almost seemed as if Jackson had never won an award, because he seemed so shocked that he had actually won. “Why does he look so surprised?” Mark asks curiously, turning away from the screen, where Jackson was finally accepting the award, to look at Jinyoung.

“Well, he really didn't expect to win tonight.” Jinyoung shrugs. “And it's always nice to win on these programs, you never really stop getting surprised.” Jinyoung turns his attention back to the screen, where the show had seemingly gone off air, but majority of the night's performers were stationary on the stage, as they chose to mingle amongst each other and greet one another as if they hadn't seen each other in years.

Mark spotted Jackson standing beside a stunning girl idol, and he noticed that two seemed to be extremely engaged in the conversation, as lively hand gestures were thrown around freely. Of course, the conversation was going well until another person on stage seemingly cut into their conversation. The male positioned himself on Jackson's right, and with a sharp glance, the female idol turned on her heels and sashayed into the direction of a group of girls who were huddled together.

“Who's that?” Mark pointed to the male who had struck up a conversation with Jackson.

Jinyoung squinted at the screen, eyebrows knitted together as he attempted to uncover the identity of the unknown male. “You know,” Jinyoung began, rubbing the back of his neck. “I'm not quite sure.”

A few seconds after the words left Jinyoung's mouth, Jaebum walked off stage, and appeared behind stage, where Jinyoung and Mark had been for the past hour. Mark was still concentrated on the camera's view of the stage, but he wasn't so concentrated to not notice Jaebum and Jinyoung talking in the corner of his eye.

“How'd I do out there? Honestly, Jinyoung.” Jaebum looked as if he wasn't even the slightest bit exhausted, but the sweat that glinted off his arms, chest, and fell from his hair were dead giveaways. A stage hand handed Jaebum a bottle of water, which the idol graciously accepted. Some of the water seeped out from the bottle, and fell onto the front of Jaebum's shirt, and Jinyoung was trying oh so hard to not stare at the white tee that was clinging to Jaebum's chest. “Jinyoung?”

Jaebum's voice completely broke Jinyoung's trance, and suddenly, his gaze snapped up to Jaebum's eyes. “What? Oh — how'd you do? That's what you asked?”

Jaebum nodded, and attempted to hide the grin that was fighting to spread across his lips. “You seem very, very distracted Jinyoung.” The sly grin eventually made his way onto Jaebum's face. “But yes, that's what I asked.”

Jinyoung blushed viciously, and in an effort to make his red off his cheeks disappear, he cleared his throat and glanced away from Jaebum. “W-Well. Your performances are usually good, of course, but today some things stood out. Like, your choreography was performed extremely well, your moves were crisp. Work on the moves before the chorus, you rushed a little bit. Your high note was better than last time, but in some parts of the song, you sounded exasperated, work on singing from your diaphragm..” Jinyoung rattled off the list.

And Mark knew he shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but at one point, he turned around to face Jaebum and Jinyoung. “Jinyoung-ssi, it sounds like you and Jaebum are a musical duo, or something, you're giving him such good advice.”

Jinyoung shrugs, giving Mark a half smile. His eyes looked almost wistful as the words passed Mark's lips, but if he was even the slightest bit upset, it wasn't very noticeable. “I was a trainee once, Mark-ssi. I guess I picked up some things.”

Jackson walked into the room at that point, all smiles as he cradled the Inkigayo trophy in his arms. “Two wins apiece, huh Jae?”

“It's a complete and utter honor to lose to you, Jackson.” Jaebum's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, and Mark wasn't quite sure if Jaebum was joking or if the sarcasm had been unleashed due to the bitterness of not winning tonight.

“As it should be.” Jackson handed the trophy off to Mark, who was the closest to him. Mark, surprised that he now possessed the trophy, held it to his chest tightly, in fear of dropping it. “You think I can skip my maintenance meeting, or no, Jinyoung-ee?”

Jinyoung glared at Jackson sternly, and apparently that enough was an answer to Jackson, who sighed deeply. “I really don't understand why I'm subject to all these ridiculous meetings,” Jackson groaned. “Like, what have I done recently? I'm just trying to get ready for this tour, that's all.”

“It might not be about anything bad, Jackson,” Jaebum said. “But, go, don't skip out on it, it'll only give management a reason to call more meetings, you know?”

Jackson nods in acceptance, but also in defeat. “Okay, I guess I'll go.” He turns to Mark, and then Jinyoung. “We should probably get going then, right?”

Jinyoung nods. “Jaebum, you coming with us?”

“Only of you want me to.”

“I think you'd go if Jinyoung told you he wanted you there,” Jackson smirks. “My opinion doesn't weight as much as Jinyoung-ee's.”

Jaebum stares at Jinyoung then, and nods. “That's true.”

* * *

And the four left the Inkigayo studio together, just as they had come in. Jackson was quiet as they walked to the car, simply staring at the trophy he held in his hands. Mark sighed lowly as he asked Jackson if he was okay, but Jackson nodded and assured Mark that he was fine.

The car ride wasn't quiet, as Jaebum and Jinyoung made plenty of conversation, but Mark didn't feel like he should cut into the two's conversation. Rather, he turned to Jackson, who was sitting right beside him. “You did really well up there, you know?”

Jackson looked up then, his eyes wide, but not in surprise, more so in pleasure, happiness, even. “You really think so?”

Mark laughs quietly, and nods. “Yeah, I do.” His eyes travel to the trophy Jackson was cradling in his arms. “You deserved that, Jackson.”

A mirth sparkled in Jackson's eyes. “You're not just saying that because you want a bonus, or something?”

“Hmm, a bonus wouldn't hurt, but,” Mark playfully grins before continuing. “No, I meant it from the bottom of my heart. You really deserved it, you're a great performer, Jackson.”

Jackson glanced away from Mark for a brief second, before looking into Mark's eyes once again. The whole interaction was almost entirely informal, it was as if they'd been friends for months rather than weeks. But as Jackson leaned over to grasp Mark's hand, Mark felt a warmth spread through him. It was unusually comfortable, being in such close proximity to Jackson, and dare Mark say he actually kind of liked it. “Thank you, Mark-ssi,” Jackson's voice was calming to Mark's ears, and after how mad he'd been earlier, it was nice to hear Jackson free of nerves and anger. “It means a lot.”

Jackson backs away suddenly at that point, because his iPhone rings, and after a lingered stare at Mark, he hesitantly attends to the call, sliding away from Mark. Mark feels selfishly stupid as he glares at the phone for ruining the moment. Jackson is a nice person, Mark thinks at that point, how can people come up with those crazy rumors?

Mark doesn't have time to actually think much more, because Jinyoung pulls into the parking lot of management headquarters, and soon all four exit the car and enter the building.

* * *

 “Nice of you to make it, Jackson-hyung!” greets the secretary as Jackson enters the waiting room. He's followed by Jaebum and Jinyoung, with Mark unintentionally trailing far behind. Both Jaebum and Jinyoung are greeted with the same warmth as Jackson, but Mark is glanced over initially, but eventually is given a smile and quiet hello by the young boy at the desk. The secretary makes a call, politely informing whoever it was on the opposite line that Jackson Wang and co. had finally arrived. “They'll be right out, Jackson-ssi, you'll only have to wait a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Jooheon, I don't mind the wait, it's no problem.” smiles Jackson. Mark takes note of how well Jackson gets along with others in the company, even those who are younger than him. That must be why he makes such a good MC and variety personality, Mark figures.

“Mark-ssi, you don't have to come in with us if you don't want to.” Jinyoung whispers to Mark lowly.

“No it's okay, I don't mind Jinyoung-ssi.” smiles Mark. “I want to stay as Jackson's assistant, so if they'll allow me to stay in there, I will.”

“You're the first assistant who's ever willingly wanting to attend these meetings.” Jinyoung runs his hand over his arm, almost nervously. It seemed as if these meetings affected Jinyoung just as much as they affected Jackson. “Okay, you can just absorb the information, and don't speak out of turn unless directly addressed, got it?”

Mark nods in understanding. “Got it!”

“Good.” Jinyoung smiles.

Only seconds after, the door opens slowly, and a tall, thin man gestures for the four to come stand. When they do, with Jackson in front, they follow the man into a meeting room. There's a small group of about 9 gathered around a wide round table, talking quietly amongst themselves. As the four walk in, the chatters halts suddenly, and practically all eyes are focused on the Jackson and everyone around him.

“Jackson. Please sit.” came the voice of one of the men on the left side, but Mark wasn't quite sure which one. Mark snuck a glance over at Jackson, and realized how awfully tense the idol appeared as he walked to the seat being offered to him, the seat at the head of the table. Jinyoung was on Jackson's right, Jaebum on his left, and Mark beside Jinyoung. “Why am I here?” Jackson asks, considering he had every right to be curious.

“Have you looked up your name and seen what comes up in the last twenty four hours?” asked the man at the opposite head of the table, staring at Jackson with unwavering attention.

“Listen, I know the tabloids make me out to be utterly conceited, but I'm like every other normal person, really,” Jackson didn't sound sincere, and the playful grin didn't help. “I only search my name up every 48 hours.”

The man seemingly overlooked Jackson's attempt at making a joke. “What do you think comes up?”

“Well, my successful album, me winning first on Inkigayo, my upcoming solo Asia tour,” Jackson ticks every reason off his fingers, each and each word dripping with sarcasm. It seemed as if he wasn't trying to be funny, rather, he was trying to sound fresh. “Me becoming the number one search on Naver because I was shirtless on stage?”

“No. Actually quite the opposite.” One of the men slid a tablet towards Jackson, and the idol placed it between him and Jinyoung. The gasps that came from both boys were filled with shock. Mark leaned over to read the headline to himself. _Jackson Wang, terrible boss?_ , was the title of the article, printed on the top of the page in big, bold letters. Mark continued to the read the article, shocked at what it read:  _Former assistants of the idol come together for an interview after months, claiming Jackson is difficult to work with, and treats his assistants terribly_.

As Mark read the article, his eyes were unusually wide as he encountered the many accusations aimed at his boss. The article claimed Jackson was the perpetrator of doing many awful things towards his assistants. Some crazy accusations were Jackson spilling drinks on his assistant's shoes, breaking their phones, making them run out for ridiculously long orders constantly, and having a generally bad attitude towards those he worked for and had work for him. Mark glanced over at Jackson, whose head was hung low in what looked like embarrassment. “These things aren't true.” It's all Mark had been thinking since he had began reading the article, and he hadn't meant for the words to slip past his lips, but they did.

“Mark.” Jinyoung's tone held a sense of warning. He had specifically gave Mark directions to not speak unless spoken to, and currently, Mark was disregarding all instructions he had been given.

Mark had been working with Jackson for a few weeks, and aside from the day's temper tantrum, Jackson hadn't been intentionally rude to him once. Mark was sure that these assistants were trying to make money off his name, or something along those lines. “Jackson isn't a bad boss. All of that has to be fake, he's not like that —”

“— Mark. Nobody is speaking to you, please stop talking.” Jackson's voice was full of disappointment and hurt, and a whole arsenal of feelings Mark couldn't quite decipher. His eyes were soft as he glanced over at Mark, pleading with his gaze for the older to stop. Jackson looked away quickly, turning to Jinyoung. “All of that's true. I've done every action on that list.”

Mark stared at Jackson, mouth slightly agape. His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as he thought about how terribly stupid he must have sounded; standing up for someone who had done exactly what they had been accused of. Mark glanced down at his hands that were folded under the table, now quiet.

“Who is this boy who speaks foolishly with no manners?” asked one of the men from the company, nodding his head in Mark's direction.

It was quiet, until someone spoke up in Mark's defense. “His name is Mark Tuan.” Surprisingly, the voice belong to Jaebum, and Mark didn't quite expect for him of all people to defend him. “And he isn't foolish, so you shouldn't talk about him in that way, especially when he's in front of you.” 

It was quiet again, but this time because of Jaebum's lingering words. One of the men asked why Mark was even at the meeting, and who he was. “He's my new assistant.” Jackson finally announced. “He was hired a few weeks ago.” 

Someone snickered, wondering out loud why Mark couldn't speak for himself, while another man pointed out that Mark being hired simply proved Jackson's habit of burning through assistants. “So, Mark Tuan,” the same man who had initiated the conversation had turned to Mark now. “The real question is how is Jackson treating you?” 

All eyes in the room were suddenly on Mark, and he felt extremely uncomfortable in a situation such as this one. Before answering, Mark snuck a look over at Jackson, and the assistant took a deep breath. “Well..” 


	7. Escapes and Excitement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jackson!”
> 
> Mark doesn't get a response because suddenly, there's a pause on the other line. The line goes eerily quiet, and Mark shifts in his seat uncomfortably. “Jackson?”
> 
> And then Jackson screams directly into the phone, causing Mark to drop his phone onto the car floor. He scrambles to pick it up, immediately placing it back to his ear. He just hoped Jackson didn't scream again. “Are you okay? Jackson!” 
> 
> “Sorry Mark can't talk gotta go, bye!” says Jackson in a rushed voice. The call ends, and Mark groans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fault that I haven't updated this in a few weeks! I wasn't quite sure what to do what this chapter, but aha, I am done! I'm going to start on next week's update as soon as this is published, so look out for that next Wednesday. I hope you like this, and comments and kudos definitely make me work a bit faster. Enjoy!

“Jackson has treated me well. That's why I couldn't believe those rumors.” Mark answers, voice wobbling as he spoke. He wasn't accustomed to so many people paying attention to him at once, to feel the hard stares of those unfamiliar to him. Mark would forever be amazed at how Jackson and Jaebum dealt with the attention being given to them so well. “He's been utterly respectful, and speaks to me formally, as I'm older.” Okay, that was a lie, technically. Jackson didn't speak to him formally, but for the sake of making Jackson look good, he'd lie a bit. “And working for him has been easy so far.”

After he finishes speaking, the attention shifts from Mark over to Jackson, and Mark exhales quietly. Mark was hoping that should be it, he spoken well upon Jackson's behalf, they'd drop the conversation. But Mark should've known better, because that's not quite how it went.

“Jackson. Do you understand that you're about to go on your tour?” One of the men questions, and Mark realizes that Jackson looks just about ready to release a sarcastic reply, but holds himself back. “Do you know how bad a headline like this could hurt ticket sales? Nobody wants to go see an arrogant, inconsiderate idol in concert. And from this report that you yourself said was true, that's exactly what it makes you out to be.”

Jackson lacked emotion in response to the insult. He looked completely unfazed, but Mark wondered if this was only a mask, or he really didn't feel anything after being called arrogant and inconsiderate. “Arrogant and inconsiderate, huh?” Jackson chuckles almost bitterly. “Well, I'm the arrogant and inconsiderate idol who's out here practicing 24 hours a day for a sold out tour, I'm the idol giving good publicity by winning this company trophies on music shows,” His voice rises, and he seems a little angry. “I'm your most successful foreign artist, and you're criticizing me over one bad headline?”

“It's not like you're an angel, Jackson, you've been problematic in the past.” It seems to be the same man arguing and slandering Jackson. “You've been in the spotlight for many things that the company doesn't endorse. And this, being rude to people who are trying to help you isn't exactly helping your case.”

“If you're so dissatisfied with me, why don't you drop me?” Jackson yells, as tears swell up in his eyes.

There was no answer to Jackson's question, there was only silence. Of course they wouldn't drop him, Mark thinks, Jackson is one of the company's most successful acts. He alone brings in so much money that it'd be insane to even consider dropping him.

“We don't want to drop you.” It's not the same man that had been arguing with Jackson, it's a different man, who Mark doesn't even remember hearing speak at all. “We just want you to watch your behavior a little bit. As for this headline,” The man sighs, scratching his head. “We'll release a statement, stating that the claims were true and Jackson apologizes. We'll include Mark's comments about Jackson being a good boss, see how everything blows over.”

Suddenly, Jackson gets up, all eyes following him as he exits the room. “Do whatever you want.”

Everyone looks to those of Jackson's party that remained in the room: Jaebum, Jinyoung, and Mark. Awkwardly, all three stand from their seats, politely exiting the room. Jackson wasn't in the waiting room as the three expected, so they turned to the secretary, Jooheon, who had been looking at them since they entered the room. “Are you looking for Jackson-ssi?”

They nod.

“He just went downstairs.” Jooheon informs. “He seemed angry, he didn't joke with me like usual. You guys should probably go check on him.”

With worried glances exchanged, the three nodded in thanks and waited for the elevator to come to their floor. When it did, they all piled in, pressing the ground floor button. “He doesn't have the keys, where could he have gone?” asks Jinyoung.

“He probably went to wait by the car.” Jaebum shrugs. “Like you said,” The elevator closes then. “Where else could he have gone?”

Jackson wasn't by the car.

“Where is he?” Jinyoung looked around frantically, eyes wide. Suddenly, Jinyoung was scrambling for his phone, speed dialing the idol that was nowhere to be seen. Mark glances over at Jaebum, who seemed composed as he leaned against the car door.

“You're not worried?” whispered Mark.

“One is always slightly worried when your best friend is nowhere to be found, but,” Jaebum ruffles his hair a bit. “Jackson does this. When he needs to let out steam, he disappears for a while, there's no harm in it.”

“Is it safe for him to be going out like this by himself?”

“Mark, Jackson's a grown man, he can take care of himself. I'm sure he's fine, Jinyoung just acts like his mom,” Jaebum smiles. “Jinyoung is like a mom to all his friends.”

“Ah, why isn't he picking up his phone?!” Jinyoung grunts, studying his phone screen before sliding it back into his pocket. “Get in the car, both of you, let's go.”

Mark and Jaebum share a glance before following Jinyoung's command, entering the car. “Mark-ssi?”

“Yes?”

“Call Jackson.” sighs Jinyoung.

Mark takes his phone out of his pocket, turning it on. As the screen illuminates, notifications pop up onto the screen. The most recent notification however is from Jackson, which surprises Mark. He disregards it, immediately dialing Jackson's number. It rings for seconds, and Mark was ready to hang up, until the call's picked up.

“You didn't read my text,” says Jackson. “Usually, in an urgent situation like this, you'd read my text then call me.” He pauses. “Guess Mark Tuan is not good in urgent situations, that's going on my list of your pros and cons.”

“This isn't an urgent situation, though.”

Jackson persists. “It could've been an urgent situation, how would you have known, you didn't read my text!”

Mark sighs. “Jackson, where are you?”

“Hmm, where are you?”

“Jackson!”

Mark doesn't get a response because suddenly, there's a pause on the other line. The line goes eerily quiet, and Mark shifts in his seat uncomfortably. “Jackson?”

And then Jackson screams directly into the phone, causing Mark to drop his phone onto the car floor. He scrambles to pick it up, immediately placing it back to his ear. He just hoped Jackson didn't scream again. “Are you okay? Jackson!”

“Sorry Mark can't talk gotta go, bye!” says Jackson in a rushed voice. The call ends, and Mark groans. What Mark did gain from the two wasted minutes of a phone call was a sore eardrum, but what Mark didn't obtain was information on Jackson's whereabouts. At least they knew he was okay.

Mark slides his phone into his pocket, leaning back against the car seat.

“What'd he say?” Jinyoung asks.

“He was fine until he hung up the phone screaming. Should we be worried?”

“Screaming? He was screaming? Oh my gosh what if he got kidnapped!” The manager seemed worried as he drove down one of Seoul's main roads.

“Jinyoung, the light of my life,” The first part of Jaebum's sentence was said with heavy sarcasm, but Mark wondered if Jaebum really meant it. Jaebum placed his hand over Jinyoung's hand that wasn't driving, stroking it with his thumb. It seemed to calm Jinyoung down. “Stop worrying, Jackson's fine. Now, make a turn here, I think I know where Jackson might be.”

Jinyoung made a right, and suddenly they were brought to the front of a small, quaint looking restaurant nestled in between a mini supermarket and an accessory store. There was parking in front, so after Jinyoung parked the car, the three exited to go inside the restaurant. It was mostly empty at this time, but lo and behold, a familiar figure was curled into the corner with bowls of ramen and kimchi in front of him. His Chicago Bulls cap was tipped down, and he had somehow supplied sunglasses to shield his eyes.

The three watch from a distance as another bowl of ramen was bought to the table, and a scream left the idol's lips. It sounded like the same scream that Mark had heard before the call ended. Mark rolls his eyes playfully, realizing that Jackson had been screaming because he was bought his food.

“Jackson Wang!” Jinyoung scolded, practically rushing to Jackson's table. “Why must you insist on making me so worried like that?!”

Jackson sighs, taking off the sunglasses and placing them to the side. “Nobody tells you to overreact every time I'm not around,” says Jackson. “You really should stop worrying too much about me, behavior like that might turn Jaebum hyung off, you know.”

“Jackson!” Jinyoung practically whines, covering his face in embarrassment.

Jackson turned his head, finally acknowledging Jaebum and Mark's presence. “Sorry, Jinyoung-ah, I didn't know Jaebum was here.” Jackson then overlooks Jaebum to get a glance at Mark. “Hi, Mark.”

When Jackson doesn't get an immediate response from Mark, he turns his attention back to his noodles. “If either one of had been resourceful, you would've checked fan pages, who had spotted me here minutes ago.”

Mark and Jinyoung glanced at Jaebum, who shrugged. “Not my fault I know how an idol thinks. That's exactly what I would've done too.” Jaebum rubs the back of his neck. “Anyway. How'd you even get here?”

“Oh, as life happens, Minjun and Taecyeon were going for lunch and left the building the same time I did, so they offered to drop me off here!” Jackson slurps some noodles. “I haven't been here very long, maybe.. 15 minutes? Do you guys want to sit down and have some noodles? Or kimchi?”

Jinyoung stares. “Jackson, let's go.”

“But, Jinyoung —”

“— Jackson, I said let's go. Don't make me ask twice.” Jinyoung turned on his heels, exiting the restaurant.

Jaebum glanced between Mark and Jackson, before jogging toward the door to catch up with Jinyoung. “Jinyoung, hold up!”

Mark and Jackson were left alone again, which happens frequently, as it seems. Jackson pills out the chair for Mark, gesturing for him to sit. Mark eyes the chair hesitantly. “Shouldn't we go outside with them?”

“Sit. They can wait for me.”

“Jackson, we really shouldn't keep them waiting —”

Jackson suddenly places down his fork, head snapping up to make eye contact with mark. “Mark. Do you work for Jinyoung-ee and Jaebum hyung, or do you work for me?”

“Well —”

“— Exactly. You work for me. And if you still want to keep the best paying job you're probably ever going to have, I suggest you sit down.” Jackson snaps.

Mark sighs, sitting down in the chair across from Jackson. Jackson sighs in what sounded like content. “Now, was that so hard, Mark hyung?”

“What's with the hyung? You've never called me hyung before.”

“True. I was testing it out, seeing if I liked it,” Jackson shakes his head. “I didn't. So, I'll come up with my own nickname for you. Eventually.”

“Oh.” Mark's vision zeros in on the bowl of noodles Jackson was picking at. In that moment, he remembers not eating much today — did he even eat at all? “Okay.”

“Mark.”

“Yes, Jackson?”

Jackson slides the bowl of noodles over to Mark, who had shamelessly been eyeing the bowl hungrily. “You must be hungry. Have some.”

Mark shakes his head, attempting to slide the noodles back over to Jackson. However Jackson's hands suddenly enveloped Mark's, holding the bowl in place. Mark's eyes go wide at the sight, Jackson's hands were so much bigger than Mark's, and they were so warm —

“Mark.” Jackson's voice snaps Mark directly out of his thoughts. “Eat.”

“Wait what? Oh.” Mark sees that Jackson's hands nice from his, and it's disappointing. He takes the opportunity to pick at the noodles, which tasted so so good. “Why did you say that stuff to Jinyoung? He just cares about you, Jackson.”

“You know,” Jackson takes a spoonful of kimchi. “I've found that people who said they care about me, end up leaving.” He pauses, swallowing his food. “Anyway, he shouldn't worry that much about me, I'm a grown man.”

That's what Jaebum said, Mark thinks, but that doesn't mean Jinyoung shouldn't worry about him.

“Well, still. He can worry about you if he wants, you don't have to be rude to him.”

“Were you worried, Mark?”

“N-No! You were gone for like, twenty minutes,” Mark says. “You texted me, and picked up my call. Why would I have worried?”

Jackson's quiet, and so is Mark. He wanted the noodles, but as he picks at them, he feels guilty, for some reason. Eventually he slides the plate back to Jackson, standing up. “I'll eat later..”

Jackson looks up at him, eyebrows raised. “Okay, but did I ask?”

“Oh.” Mark looks down. He wasn't quite sure how to react to Jackson in this moment. The idol was usually nice to him, and it made working for him easy. But today, he seemed to be in a mood, but because Mark knew that wasn't how he always acted, he let it slide.

“Let's go.” Jackson took out his wallet, placing enough money to pay the bill two times over. Jackson walks out of the restaurant, only to be surrounded by fans. They screamed Jackson's name, and asked for pictures and autographs. Mark expected Jackson to push past the crowd, but seeing the fans there made Jackson stop in his place. He looked around, at everyone clamoring for his attention, those who eagerly screamed his name hoping for even a glance in their direction.

“..Jackson? You want to go or..?” Mark's voice was quieter than the others screaming, but his voice was the only one who's got to Jackson. He turns around, looking at Jackson, his hardened expression from earlier swapped for a soft one.

“Go in the car, it's okay, Mark.” Jackson is quiet as he pushes Mark in the direction of the car, but Mark doesn't budge. He stands by Jackson's side, a small smile.

“I'll wait, it's okay. Jinyoung and Jaebum might freak if I leave you here —” On that cue, more screams come from the crowd, as from the direction of the car, Jaebum and Jinyoung emerge side by side. The fans start screaming for both Jackson and Jaebum, and Jaebum puts his hood down, making his way over to Jackson.

“Mark, go with Jinyoung and wait over there.” Jaebum whispers into Mark's ear, and hesitantly, Mark nods. Before he heads over to Jinyoung, he watches as Jackson signs the fan's posters, smiling at them sweetly. One girl talks to Jackson and he engages in conversation with her and the fans around her with interest sparkling in his eyes. He loved his fans, it was true, as Mark saw now.

Mark goes over to wait by Jinyoung once Jackson and Jaebum start to taking pictures with fans. “Is it always like this when they go out?”

Jinyoung nods, arms folded. “Usually.” Some fans pointed to Jinyoung and Mark, waving and smiling. Some even snapped pictures of the two, and for the photo op, Jinyoung pulled Mark close to his body, smiling. Mark smiled as well, following Jinyoung's lead. Jinyoung even leaned his head onto Mark's shoulder with a pout, and Mark wonders when him and Jinyoung had ever been this close. Not that he minded, of course.

After, the two headed back to the car to wait for the boys. Mark took passenger seat, and Jinyoung took front seat. It was quiet, but Mark had a question that he had to ask, because it'd been bothering him all day. “Hey, Jinyoung-ee, can I ask you something? It's personal, so you don't want to answer.”

“Because it's personal doesn't mean I won't answer, I won't answer if I don't want to answer.” Jinyoung tells Mark. “Go ahead, ask.”

“Do you.. Uh.. Like Jaebum?”

Jinyoung's eyes divert from Mark's direction, opting to look down at the steering wheel. “Of course I like Jaebum, he's one of my best friends.”

Mark knows the game Jinyoung was trying to play here. So, he clarifies himself. “I mean as more than a friend. In like a, ' _I would date you_ ' kind of way.”

Jinyoung's eyes widened almost incredulously, as he glances over at Mark. “Who are you to ask me that? We're not close, do you think you're in a position to ask me this?”

Worriedly, Mark's eyes widened, as he waves his arms in error. “Oh! I'm so sorry, oh my — Jinyoung-ssi, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to —”

Jinyoung suddenly starts laughing, which makes Mark stop talking immediately. “Mark, I'm joking, it's okay,” Jinyoung grins, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You and I are going to be working together hopefully for a while. It'd be beneficial to both of us, and Jackson, if we were close. Or at least on good terms, you know?”

Mark nods.

“About your question..” The look on Jinyoung's face is almost bashful, and Mark doesn't think he's ever seen Jinyoung like this. “Yes, I like Jaebum, I've liked him for years now, I think.”

“He seems to like you too, though,” says Mark. “And if you like him, why don't you guys like.. um, date?”

Jinyoung forced a smile, but the look in his eyes blatantly gave away that he wasn't exactly happy. The look behind Jinyoung's eyes was almost wistful, filled with want, but also with sadness. It seems that speaking about Jaebum struck a cord with Jinyoung, and never though through this they were familiarizing each other with themselves, Mark wishes he hadn't brought it up. “Mark, there's a bunch of reasons as to why Jaebum and I wouldn't work. More reasons than necessary, honestly.”

Mark already felt as if he had pressed his luck getting this far into such a personal conversation with Jinyoung, so he prodded a bit more. “Reasons like..?”

“Well, for starters, he's an idol, and I'm an idol's manager. We're both so busy, how would we make time for a relationship?”

“But Jaebum is practically always with Jackson, and you're always with him. So, you'd be together that way, and uh, if I ever get the ropes of managing Jackson, I could take over for an hour or two..”

Jinyoung stares at Mark, as if he was in deep consideration of all Mark was saying. There was a level of truth to it, and admittedly, Jinyoung hadn't thought of it before. Partly because past assistants had never made it past a few weeks, never shown a genuine interest in the work, or were way too inexperienced for Jinyoung to even think about leaving them with his work. And Mark had made it further than any of Jackson's precious assistants.. “There's more than just that. We're both too close to Jackson and if something went wrong, it might be awkward. And even if Jackson and I are close, he's been with Jaebum for longer than he's been with me, surely I would lose my job rather than him losing Jaebum's friendship.” Jinyoung pauses, sighing deeply. “It would just never work. I think that our ship sailed a long time ago, but that's just life, right? He'll find someone else, I know it.”

Mark glances over at Jinyoung, who was gripping the steering wheel, peering out at the scene of fans through the glass. To Mark, it seemed as if Jinyoung wanted a relationship with Jaebum, but was so convinced that it wouldn't work out, that he'd come up with a hundred and seven reasons for why it wouldn't work. But, Mark thinks he'd done enough prodding today, so he decides to not pursue the topic any further — for now.

After speaking, Jinyoung seemed to be in deep thought, and so Mark didn't want to bother him. “You really care about them, huh?” Mark ponders out loud, his voice low enough that he thought Jinyoung wouldn't hear him.

“Jaebum and Jackson? Yeah, I do,” Jinyoung's quiet, almost reflective. “After all I've been through in this city, they're two of the only people who've stood by me no matter what. I'm grateful, I guess.”

That makes Mark smile, but it also made him look back at his life. Who did he have? Youngjae, of course, Youngjae was his best friend. But, come to think of it, he truthfully didn't have anybody else. Mark didn't have the time to think about it more, because Jackson and Jaebum soon entered the car with wide grins.

“The fans are so cute!” exclaims Jackson. “I love them so much!” Jackson waves the cards and candy he'd received from fans almost in a bragging type way. “And they have me gifts. How sweet, right?”

Jinyoung fake laughs at Jackson's statement. “Yeah, sweet,” He turns to look at Jaebum, instead of Jackson. “What'd you get, hyung?”

Meekly, Jaebum showcases the several letters, small candy and gifts he'd received from fans. “The same stuff as Jackson,” Jaebum shrugged. “The fans were really sweet, some of them said they waited outside the headquarters thinking we'd show up but when we were spotted here they rushed over here. They were holding heavy bags and stuff,” Jaebum glances out the window. “I hope they'll be okay, really.”

Mark mopes a bit, peering out the dude window to glance at the fans. Indeed, as Jaebum had said, several of the girls held bags full of treats, but also their backpacks in addition. If some didn't come from the immediate area, it might be a lot to lug all the way across town. Suddenly, Mark felt a flash of pity for the fans. He couldn't do much but watch as the fans lugged their bags away, but not without smiles on their faces as they had interacted with some of their favorite idols. At least they had that, Mark thought to himself. Maybe at some point, he could make himself useful to Jackson and Jaebum's team by helping set up something for the fans. They'd like that, and certainly, Mark would —

Mark's thoughts were broken by Jinyoung placing the key into the ignition so that the car came to life. After the engine revved up rather loudly, Jinyoung put the car into reverse before driving out of the parking lot, and onto the main road. Mark forgot what he had been thinking about, but whatever his thoughts had been were quickly replaced by him taking out his planned, flipping to today's date to see what else Jackson had on the schedule.

There was nothing else scheduled after the impromptu maintenance meeting, and Mark was surprised. However, the next day was jam packed with tour practice. Tomorrow it'd be Monday, and then it would only be about a week until the big opening concert in Seoul. Jackson would be on overdrive with all this practice, and Mark couldn't help but feel pity for the idol. Maybe he'd talk to Jackson and Jinyoung about letting Jackson have a day of rest. Yeah, that sounded just about right to Mark. He'd do that a little later.

“Where to now?” Mark asks, curious as to where the four were heading. Even though by the route Jinyoung was taking, Mark guessed they were heading back to the dorms.

“Well, I'm dropping Jaebum back off at the dorms. Jackson doesn't have a schedule for the rest of the day, so Mark you're free to go home if you'd to? You'll be called back if Jackson needs you for something.”

Mark hadn't been given this much time to relax since he'd been working for Jackson, and he was shocked he was able to go home so early. But, Youngjae was working overtime for those on vacation, so mostly likely he wouldn't be home. And honestly, Mark didn't want to be alone.

“Well.. I.. I could, uh, bring you guys coffee? Or something sweet to eat? I don't really have plans..” Mark looks down, getting quieter. “Unless, of course, you guys have plans that I couldn't be included in, or something.”

“I could really go for a cappuccino.” And Jinyoung smiles wide over at Mark. “One like you made me the first night we met!” Jinyoung's hand curls around Mark's arm, squeezing in a way that Mark found extremely comfortable. “Will you make me one, Mark-ssi? Please?”

With Jinyoung grinning over at him like that, hands on Mark's arm, he couldn't quite refuse. Mark smiles back at Jinyoung, voice trembling slightly for unknown reasons. “Y-Yeah, of c-course!” He turns back to look at Jackson and Jaebum. “You guys want anything?”

Jackson was silent, while Jaebum seemed to be fixated on Jinyoung's hands curled around Mark's arm. His eyes suddenly made its' way up to Mark's. “Uh, I'll have an Americano, one sugar, please, thanks.”

“Jackson-ssi? What do you want?” Mark asks quiet, hoping to rip toe around Jackson's seemingly bad mood. He hoped coffee made him feel better, he really likes green tea lattes, or anything with green tea, Mark remembers.

He's expecting a long and complicated order, but all Mark gets is a few seconds of eye contact, and a quiet order. “Green tea on ice, with three packets of organic sugar.”

“Okay! I'll go get it when Jinyoung stops at the dorms because my car is parked there.” Mark informs the other three.

“No, that's okay, Mark-ssi, I'll take you!”

In the back of the car, Jaebum allows for a strangled whine to pass his lips. “Jinyoung, I thought you were going to help me with that thing, you know, you promised..”

Mark peers over at Jinyoung, who most certainly looked confused as he drove. “What thing, hyung?” Suddenly it hits Jinyoung so it seems, because a gasp is released, and his eyes go wide. “Oh, how could I forget?! After I get the coffee, I'll come straight to your dorm.”

“Okay, baby, I'll be waiting.” Jaebum smirks as the car stops in front of the dorm. Jackson gets out first, but Jaebum soon follows. Jinyoung blushes as Jaebum winks at the manager as he exits the car, and then blows an exaggerated kiss in Mark's direction. Once Jaebum was out of sight, Jinyoung lightly smacks his face a few times to try and chase away the blush that was temporarily stained on his cheeks.

“He calls you baby? Listen, Jinyoung-ah, that's really cute. I hope you both get the happiness you deserve,” Mark tells the other, placing a hand on his shoulder as Jinyoung puts the car in motion. “The happiness you deserve together.”

“Mark, I don't wanna —”

“— Talk about it? I know, don't worry, I have something else to talk you about.”

“Oh.” Jinyoung pauses. “Everything okay? You're not quitting, are you? Oh please don't tell me you're quitting, you're one of the first assistants I actually like!”

Mark's heart swells at the compliment, and he could even feel a light, faint blush upon his face. “No, I'm not quitting. It's about Jackson.”

“Did his behavior today bother you? I'm sorry, Mark —”

“— No, it didn't, actually. He was having a bad day overall, I get it, I'm not mad, or anything. I have a lot of patience, and even if I don't particularly like to see him upset, it's not because it bothers me, it's because we're friends of some sort and I wanna see him smiling.” Mark pauses, realizes how much he started to ramble on the subject of Jackson. “Anyway, we were talking last night, and he seems to be really stressed about the upcoming tour. I see that he's booked for practice after practice after appearance up until the day of the concert. Do you think maybe we can slash one of the practice days and give Jackson a day out? We can take him out, or something?”

“What day were you thinking, Mark?”

Mark pulls his planner out, scanning over the next whole week of planned activities, appearances, and practices. “How about.. Thursday? He only has a vocal practice, and then some tour run overs and that's it for the day.”

“I have a meeting with JYP at the headquarters that day, I don't think I'll be able to make it.”

“And Jaebum?”

Then Mark stops, why'd he ask Jinyoung about Jaebum's schedule? Jinyoung probably didn't know what Jaebum had going on that day! What a silly question, thinks Mark, who was just about ready to make a mental note to ask Jaebum if he was busy —

“Jaebum has recording for his album that day and then practice for a few hours,” Jinyoung informs Mark off the top of his head, totally casual. “So, he probably won't be able to make it either.”

Well, there goes Mark's plan to let Jackson relax before the big tour week. Mark is definitely disappointed, and it's visible with the frown on his face.

“Just because Jaebum and I can't make it doesn't mean you can't take Jackson out. Just pass the plans by me so I can tell higher ups that Jackson'll be out in the public so they can make arrangements with the security of the places you'll be visiting.” Jinyoung shrugs. “You better watch him right though or I'll have you fired.”

Mark gasps at Jinyoung's forward sentence.

“I'm joking, I'm joking!” Jinyoung is laughing suddenly. “You're too easy to tease, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I won't be having you fired unless you do something really bad, but so far you're doing great. Better than any assistant we've had before. Plus I like you, so that's points for something.”

“Because your opinion matters?” Mark laughs.

“Park Jinyoung's opinion is the most important.”

“Tell Jackson that.”

Jinyoung pulls into the the parking lot of the cafe at that moment. Before Mark leaves, Jinyoung glances over at Mark in the passenger seat, a twinkle in his eyes. “Don't worry, he knows.”

Mark grins. “I'll be back in a few.”

“Make sure my cappuccino isn't cold or I'll really have you fired!” Jinyoung yells out the rolled down window.

Mark waves his hands nonchalantly at Jinyoung before he's out of the other's sight. Mark enters the cafe through the worker's door, because he hoped to make the drinks himself and be out of there quick.

“Mark hyung!” Mark is seized after being in the cafe for five seconds, and without precious notice is being squeezed into a life choking hug by the sunshine otherwise known as Choi Youngjae. Usually he'd protest, but Youngjae was his best friend, and the one person whose hugs he didn't entirely mind. “You're back I've missed you lots, I haven't seen you since you left the apartment at like 2 am!” Youngjae is speaking too fast and too loud for his liking, but again, it was Choi Youngjae he was talking to, so he didn't mind.

“Youngjae,” Mark sighs his best friend's name out contently, missing the boy's smile, and his ever present scent of fresh soap. “I missed you too, Jae.”

“I've missed you more!” Youngjae nuzzles a bit into Mark's shoulder before releasing Mark from his cage like hold. “What are you here for?”

“Can I make a few drinks really quick?”

Youngjae squeals. “Is this for,” He lowers his voice. “Jackson?”

Mark laughs at his best friend's actions, but nods nevertheless. “For Jackson, that boy you said was cute, Junior — oh well, Jinyoung's his real name, he's Jackson's manager. And Jaebum.”

Youngjae paused, eyes going wide. “Did you say.. Jaebum?” Mark nods. “Im Jaebum? The record selling artist who sings Sky High and has the most dreamy eyes I've ever seen just about ever?!”

Mark rolls his eyes, heading over to where the aprons were nearly hung up, surprised at how many aprons were hung up. “Sunshine, are you the only one working?”

Youngjae doesn't respond, simply stands there with hands on his hips, staring at Mark blankly. “Hold on, I'm trying to get over the fact that you work with Jaebum.”

“I don't work with him, but he's Jackson's best friend so he's kind of always around. Also, him and Jinyoung have a —” Mark stops halfway, he's not supposed to be going around spilling inside secrets. “— Good friendship, and we're friends kind of, so he just hangs around a lot.”

“Wow. That's so amazing, do you think I'll be able to meet them all one day? Or is that against rules?”

“Well, there's a concert in Seoul next week, you know?”

“Yeah, I tried to get tickets but uh,” Youngjae swallowed hard, eyes getting a bit glassy. The expression was wiped away quick, though, and he was smiling again, but not as wide as before. “You know, money was tough with school payments and sending home money to my parents. Tickets sold out quick, anyway.”

“I know, sunshine, I know. I'll.. I'll see when you can meet them, I'm sure they won't mind.” Mark smiles, rubbing Youngjae's arm.

Youngjae offers a smile, before turning away to attend to a customer who had recently walked in while the two had been discussing Mark's new working arrangement. No longer distracted, Mark begins to make Jaebum's Americano because it was the easiest of all the drinks to make, and his was the first one done. He doodles little music notes all over the cup, writing Jaebum's name carefully and neatly.

Mark does Jackson's green tea next, which doesn't take very long, and soon enough, the drink was transported into a transparent cup that had Jackson's name in Chinese written on it. Mark was able to speak at least one or two dialects, so he managed to write Jackson's name well. Did he ever told Mark that he spoke Mandarin? He doesn't think so, maybe he'll tell him and that'll be a way to get a little closer.

Jinyoung's cappuccino is last, but Mark puts some effort, and makes a cute smiley face with the frothed up creme.

When he was done, he makes a quick coffee with milk for himself, and packs them up in a drink carried. “Sunshine, dinner later? I'll treat you to whatever you want, we can talk.” Mark walks over to Youngjae, sliding some money into the younger's apron.

“What's this for, hyung?”

“The payment for using the supplies, I know you're not supposed to let me use them. So, dinner later?” Mark heads towards the back door, drinks in hand.

Youngjae nods. “Get me some meat, okay? I'll see you, Markie!”

Mark closes the back door, making his way back over to Jinyoung's car. The door is opened for him as Jinyoung see him coming through the rear view mirror. “Ready?”

Mark nods, asking Jinyoung to hold the drink while he fastens the seatbelt. He takes them back when his seat belt, putting the carrier on his lap. “Ready.”

* * *

“I'm going to go talk to Jackson, okay? He seemed upset earlier.” Mark tells Jinyoung, handing him his and Jaebum's drink.

“That might be best. Thank you. If you need me, I'll be in Jaebum's room, he wanted to go over some stuff.”

Jinyoung goes opens the door for Mark with his spare ID, pressing in a long pass code before the door chimes and it's unlocked. They walk down the hall together, until Jinyoung reaches Jaebum's door, and Mark reaches Jackson's. Jaebum seemed to be waiting for Jinyoung because as soon as he knocks, the door opens for him.

Mark turns to Jackson's door, cups in hand as he knocks. He stands there for a few seconds before knocking again, because nobody answered the door. “Jackson?” He knocks again. “Jaaaackson.” No answer, and Mark sighs. He resorted to yelling into Mandarin, hoping the familiar tongue would make Jackson open the door. “Hey! Wang Jia Er. Open the door.”

Within seconds, the door is opened, and Jackson stands there, eyes wide. “Am I going crazy or did you just speak to me in Mandarin?”

“You're not going crazy, I did just speak to you in Mandarin.” Mark confirms what Jackson had asked, and suddenly, he's being pulled into pass the door and into the room.

“You speak Mandarin?!”

“My family's from Taiwan, Jackson..”

Jackson is bouncing in his seat, happier than Mark had seen him all day. He practically pounces on Mark, his body on top of the other's. It was a miracle he had put the drinks down, or else he'd spilled everything all over himself. Jackson's body was on top of his, bouncing in excitement, and Mark found it extremely hard to breathe because of the two's proximity. “I've never had an assistant from Taiwan! I'm from Hong Kong! You can speak Mandarin!”

“I can speak it fluently.” laughs Mark, responding back in the Mandarin Jackson seemed to get so excited over. At that, Jackson screams happily, shaking Mark viscously.

“I'm so happy I can't even believe my luck. I knew I did well hiring you!” Jackson gets off Mark then, taking the green tea off the floor before taking a seat on the bed.

“You're not upset anymore?”

“Oh no, I still am,” Jackson sips his tea. “But the fact that you just spoke in Mandarin and that you're from Taiwan is distracting me from my sadness.”

“Oh.. Why are you upset?” Mark asked in Korean, and Jackson frowned.

“Talk to me in Mandarin!” Jackson protests. “I'm good with Korean, but it's nice to talk in something more homely. It's not Cantonese, but Mandarin is close to home too, you know? I miss talking in it.”

Mark obliges, speaking with Jackson in Mandarin. He also tips off Jackson that he can speak in English being from LA, and the other got excited for a second time. It wore off, and they got down to a real conversation, settling to speak in Mandarin. “Why are you upset?”

Jackson responds by taking out his phone, and showing Mark the search results that came up after putting his name in. Some things were good, praising Jackson for the way he treated fans, and some were the critics anticipating Jackson's opening night in Seoul. The most recent however, condemning Jackson, telling the woes of his former assistants. “Jackson Wang, bad boss? Jackson Wang treats assistants badly. Jackson Wang, angel or demon?” He frowns deeply. “It's all too much, Mark, I don't.. I don't mean to act the way I act sometimes. I'm just so stressed and it just — it comes out. That's no excuse but it's hard when I have people constantly dragging me down when I just want to do what I love.”

Mark saw the frustration behind Jackson's eyes, and it made him frown. “Jackson, you're not bad, you know that.”

“I know that, but does the company believe me? Will my fans believe me? People believe what's put out on the media. And if they're saying I'm a bad person, maybe I am.” Jackson seems angry.

“You're not a bad person..”

“You've only known me for a short while? You saw how I was today. Maybe I am, maybe they're right. Maybe I don't deserve this life.” Jackson places his face into his hands, not quite crying. “You don't know me, Mark. You think you do because you've worked with me for a few weeks, but all you have is an idea of me.”

“I do know you, Jackson. You're kind, and funny, and determined to get things done. It's okay to get mad sometimes, don't worry.”

Jackson swallows hard, looking away. He now sounds less mad, and more upset. “You only say that because I've treated you well so far. Ask my past assistants, I'm a nightmare sometimes.”

“Why are you treating me so well?” Mark asks in a soft, caring voice, trying to get Jackson to look at him.

It's silent for a few seconds, and Mark thinks he isn't getting an answer from Jackson. Until, quietly, the words slip pass his lips. “Because you're the first assistant who actually pays attention to my feelings, and isn't here for how much the job pays.”

And that's when it hits Mark. Jackson is simply brushed off as an idol, and people don't genuinely think about it feels to work so hard, about how hard it is for him, especially not being from here. Mark remembers faintly of Jackson's debut, where he struggled initially because he wasn't Korean. He wasn't in a group? He was a solo artist? People thought JYP was releasing a flight risk by allowing Jackson to debut, he was either someone that would fail, or have success. Against all odds, he won over the public with his charm, and now he was where he was. It was still hard for him, no doubt.

And Mark really just wanted to help Jackson. He wanted for Jackson to be able to confide in him, he wanted to be close with the idol. And not for personal gain, just for the genuine friendliness deep down in Mark's heart. “I care about you. I want you to succeed. And Jackson, if you'll let me, I want us to be friends.”

“I don't.. I don't like getting close to people, Mark. It's nothing personal.” He says quietly. “Give me time, and I hope we can be friends.”

It wasn't the answer Mark quite wanted. But for now, he'd accept it. “Baby steps?”

Jackson smiles in agreement, sipping his tea. “Baby steps.”

“If we're taking baby steps.. You should probably go apologize to Jinyoung-ssi, you were mean to him earlier.”

Jackson gets up, nodding towards the door. “That's true. I'll be right back. Stay here.”

Mark stands up, rubbing the back of his neck. “It's okay, I'm having dinner tonight with a friend, I'm gonna go pick him up the food.”

The disappointment on Jackson's face was evident, but it left as soon as it appeared. Jackson nodded. “Oh. Okay. I'll uh, call you then?”

Mark offers a friendly smile. “You'll call and I'll pick up.”

“Can I walk you to your car?”

“We talk about being friendly and suddenly you're being a gentleman, huh? No, it's fine, go make up with Jinyoung-ssi, that'll make me happy.”

The two walk out together, parting their separate ways. Jackson turns to watch Mark leave, and Mark can feel the idol looking at him while he leaves the dorm, and it makes him smile. Mark walks to his car, now, his job was to get Youngjae some meat and go home. He was going to take advantage of the free time Jackson had given him, and take a serious rest.

He deserved it after all, right?


	8. Strawberry Milk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We need to talk.” Mark whispers quietly, and he fidgeted. This was it, Mark thinks, he was getting fired right after he bought the strawberry milk. “Might as go out with a bang.” He bought three more strawberry milks, and some mini cakes he remembers Jackson saying he liked to eat. He might as well splurge a little bit, with the tour coming up and stuff. Even as he was about to get fired, he cared about Jackson's well being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really had thought to update yesterday, since I had more than half the chapter done. But I'm starting a new fic, and when you have all the new inspiration for one fic, it's hard to come up with inspiration for another. So, I tried to finish the chapter to the best of my abilities. I hope it's okay.

“Mark hyung,” Youngjae bit a chunk of meat off his chopstick while he called out for his best friend, who was in the kitchen pouring the two some drinks. “It's nice to eat dinner with you again. I didn't like eating alone every night.”

Mark smiled at Youngjae from the kitchen, touched at the words his best friend told him. It felt mixed to be missed, but at that expense, Youngjae was alone most nights. Deep down, a stroke of guilt overtook him. With all the nights he'd spent working with Jackson, he had been forced to come home late most nights. And by the time he got in, Youngjae had always already been sleeping.

Ever since Mark had moved into the Seoul area, Youngjae had been there. When he had been living at a small, beat up studio apartment, it was Youngjae, only a coworker at the cafe at that time, who suggested the two moved in together and split rent. It was a solution that worked for the two, because money wasn't easy to come by for either boy, so they both got to pay less, had almost constant company, and they could carpool to work. And for the past year and a half, they had a routine of eating breakfast and going to work together. But now that Mark was working for Jackson, Youngjae are breakfast by himself, and went alone to work in the morning.

And Mark felt bad, of course, but he hadn't felt this bad until this moment. “I'm sorry, sunshine,” Mark sighed a little bit, bringing their drinks over to where they were sitting in the living room. “Work is just really busy. Jackson's preparing for his tour, and all these promotions he has for his albums.. It's a lot.”

Youngjae smiles, reaching over to run his thumb over the expanse of Mark's wrist softly. “Mark hyung, it's okay. I understand. But, uh..” Youngjae glanced down at his plate. “Are you going on tour with Jackson?”

Mark pauses, putting his phone in his pocket after realizing it was on the table. He then looked back at Youngjae, nodding in response. “Yeah, we haven't talked about it, but I'd assume I'd I have to..”

Youngjae frowns. “So you'll be away for a few days?”

“More like a few weeks.. Maybe 3 weeks? I'm not sure,” Mark realizes that he'll be away for even longer, and Youngjae'll really be alone.

“Oh.. It's just.. I'm gonna miss you,” Youngjae confesses, continuing to stroke Mark's wrist. Mark didn't ask Youngjae to stop, because admittedly, it was calming. “Like, you're not here all the time when I'm awake, but I'm okay when I wake up in the middle of the night and see you sleeping in your bed.” Youngjae stops talking. “Is that weird hyung? I hope that's not weird, I just don't like being alone, and it's better when you're here.”

“It's not weird, sunshine,” Mark takes a bit of rice from Youngjae's plate, eating it. “I'm sorry that I'm not here all the time. I miss you, you're my best friend, I don't mean to not be here, you know that.”

“I know. You're my best friend too, you're kind of like my brother,” Youngjae smiles, and Mark smiles too. “Anyway. On a related topic, I saw a picture of you and cute manager earlier!”

“Huh?” Mark mumbles in confusion, mouth stuffed with rice and meat. He chews quickly, leaning in to Youngjae. “Show me.”

Youngjae was apparently already a few steps ahead of Mark, pulling out his phone. “I saved it, look,” Youngjae holds the phone out to Mark. “That's you, right? Or do you have a twin I didn't know about?”

Mark remembers the picture being taken earlier today, while Jinyoung and Mark were waiting for Jackson and Jaebum. In this particular picture Mark was smiling, while Jinyoung's head rested on Mark's shoulder, the manager pouting cutely in the direction of the camera. Youngjae reached over to swipe to another picture, which had Jinyoung and Mark leaning in with their arms above their heads to make a heart. “So, Mark hyung, be honest with me,” Youngjae starts, wiggling his eyebrows. “Do you like this guy? Junior-ssi? Jinyoung? Whatever?”

Needless to say, Mark choked on the piece of meat in his mouth. “Do I like Jinyoung?” Mark repeats the question incredulously. “No! Not even a little bit. He's extremely good looking, but I say that on the friendliest of terms. He's into someone else, and I'm really rooting for those two to get together.”

“Oh man. You haven't had a crush in months, I thought this was going to break the drought,” Youngjae pouted. “I mean, there was that one period where you were absolutely in love with Jackson after his music video came out — ”

“— I was not!”

“Yes you were! You were literally drooling when his debut teasers came out for Call Me. You were going on and on about how attractive he was, and how you'd lick —”

“Youngjae!” Mark whined.

Youngjae giggled, leaning in to Mark. “You're blushing, and the tips of your ears are turning red,” Youngjae flicked Mark's ear, and the older boy scowled in response. “Isn't it funny that you had this thing for him, and now you work for him?”

Mark wriggles from his place on the floor. “Okay, I thought he was cute, but his teaser video was him wearing a black tank and a cap while dancing and doing flips, how was that not hot?” Mark points at Youngjae. “You can't come at me though, you have a thing for Jaebum!”

“I do not!”

“Why are you lying?”

“I'll admit I have a thing for Jaebum if you admit you have a thing for Jackson.”

When Youngjae got no response, he moved the table, and suddenly pounced onto Mark. He began to tickle the older boy, and Mark started screaming for Youngjae to stop. “Admit defeat! Admit it!” Youngjae's fingers tickled the spot where Mark's neck and shoulder met. “Admit it!”

“Fine!” Mark huffed out. “I have a thing for Jackson. He's hot, okay? Are you happy?”

Youngjae's eyes twinkled mischievously, leaning in to whisper. “You said have, present tense. Do you have a crush on Jackson?”

“No! Not present tense. Past tense. I had a thing for Jackson, like every other person who saw his teasers for Call Me! He's my boss, and we're friends, that'd be weird.”

“You're a good looking guy, and I think so, and you're my best friend! If I didn't see you as my brother, I'd date you, Mark hyung! You can go for Jackson hyung, maybe he'll like you.”

“Youngjae, stop watching so many dramas,” Mark pushed Youngjae off him. “For one, I'm not good looking and he probably doesn't think so either. You say that because you're my best friend. Second, Jackson might even not be into guys. And third, if he was into guys, he could get any guy, or girl, he wanted, why would he want me?”

Suddenly, a loud beep that strikingly resembled an ended call sound silenced both Mark and Youngjae. Mark looked over to his best friend with wide eyes. “Was that your phone?”

Youngjae shook his head no, pointing in the direction of the bedroom. “My phone's in the room charging. It must've been yours.”

Mark takes his phone out from his pocket. Youngjae giggled at the damaged phone screen, Mark had broken it by accidentally throwing it at Youngjae when the younger boy wouldn't stop eating his cookies. That made the phone screen extremely sensitive, and it often changed colors. He was silly enough to not get insurance on the phone, so he had to what until he saved up enough to get a new one.

Mark looked at his recent calls, and was confused when he saw that Jackson was the top call. He hadn't called Jackson, and Jackson hadn't called him. He pressed call details, seeing that the call was a good 3 minutes long. He almost dropped his phone when he saw that the call was from 7:16 to 7:19 — and right now it was 7:20. That meant Jackson had been on the phone, listening to the entire conversation. Listening to Mark admit that he had a crush on him!

Mark screamed.

“What, what?” Youngjae questioned over and over, frazzled.

“My phone dialed Jackson while we were talking!”

Youngjae's eyes went wide. “You think he heard?”

Mark screamed again. “I don't know!”

“Text him!”

Mark opened his text messages, tapping on his messages with Jackson's. His fingertips tapped furiously at the keyboard.

**to jackson: hey did I call you???? sorry.. uh.. what did you hear??**

He got a response almost instantaneously.

**from jackson: you did call me. I don't think you knew we were on the phone.**

That didn't answer Mark's question, and Mark was going to ask again what Jackson had heard, until his phone buzzed in his hand. It was another message from Jackson.

**from jackson: I heard a loooot. the most interesting was that you found me attractive. I don't blame you. most people do!**

Mark groaned, falling back onto the sofa. “He heard, Youngjae! I'm so embarrassed.” Mark began to type a reply, saying that he was sorry, and that his crush was a long time ago, and to please please not fire him. Jackson must've been on his phone, because he got two quick replies.

**from jackson: also the crush was over a while ago? disappointing :p**

**from jackson: and oh. you were wrong. I think you're really cute btw ;)**

Mark was staring at the phone with a disbelieving gaze, and a mouth wide open. Did Jackson Wang just call him cute? Mark turns to Youngjae, practically screaming. “Sunshine! Sunshine.”

“What, what?” Youngjae is confused, but eager to find out what was making his best friend scream so much.

Mark handed his phone over to Youngjae, and the younger boy gasped in disbelief. “And you said I watch too many dramas! Jackson Wang has a crush on my best friend,” Youngjae squeals. “He even used a winky face! This is amazing!”

Mark sputters, taking the phone back. “He d-didn't say c-crush! He just said I was c-cute. No strings attached c-compliment!”

Marks phone vibrated again.

**from jackson: oooooh and if you're not busy, could you bring me some strawberry milk? but with like.. organic milk. and organic strawberries. thanks :-)**

“He wants me to go bring him something. I have to tell him I'm busy and can't go.”

“Busy? You're not busy! What a liar.”

“I'm having dinner with you. That would make me busy, wouldn't it?” Mark stalls, just about ready to tell Jackson he was busy.

Until Youngjae takes Mark's plate, and spoons all the meat and rice directly into his mouth. Mark whines at the loss of his food that had almost been untouched with all the drama and talking. “Now we have no more food! You might have to go get more if you're hungry. And while you're out,” Youngjae grips Mark's hand, pulling him up and towards the door. “Go get Jackson his strawberry milk!” Youngjae handed Mark his jacket that held his wallet and car keys, and opened the door, only to shove Mark outside the apartment. “Bye Mark hyung I love you the most!” And then Youngjae shuts the door — and locks it.

Mark grumbled under his breath as he walked down the hallway. He was nervous to face Jackson after finding out that the idol had heard the private conversation between Mark and Youngjae. What if Jackson got uncomfortable with Mark liking him before and all they had spoken about earlier, like making progress would have been in vain. What if Mark lost his job because of this tiny misstep?

All these thoughts and more bombarded Mark's mind as he entered his car, and drove to the nearest convenience store. He made the purchase slowly, reading all the ingredients on the back of the bottle to stall himself from leaving the store. Milk, strawberry flavoring, artificial red food coloring — until his phone buzzed in his hand.

**from jackson: am I not getting my strawberry milk or.. :(**

Mark snapped a quick picture of the strawberry milk he was holding in his hand.

**from jackson: oh yeeeeeeeees my milk this is great!! seriously though, be here soon we need to talk :/**

“We need to talk.” Mark whispers quietly, and he fidgeted. This was it, Mark thinks, he was getting fired right after he bought the strawberry milk. “Might as go out with a bang.” He bought three more strawberry milks, and some mini cakes he remembers Jackson saying he liked to eat. He might as well splurge a little bit, with the tour coming up and stuff. Even as he was about to get fired, he cared about Jackson's well being.

After the purchases were completed, Mark trudged himself back to his car, and unwillingly drove himself to Jackson's dorm building. The same parking spot he had used last night was still vacant, so Mark figured it was safe to park there. The situation of today held striking resemblance to that of last night, because as he walked to the dorm building, he saw Jackson bundled up in a hoodie, arms wrapped around his body protectively.

Mark hesitantly walks over, wondering if it was too late to back out. Could he go home and say he got sick? Maybe he could say Youngjae needed him —

“Mark why are you just standing there? You can't admire the view that is Jackson Wang from all the way over there.”

Mark gasps, Jackson's back sad turned to him, how did Jackson even see him —

“I saw your car pull in, and heard you slam the door. Also your footsteps are not exactly quiet.”

Mark swallowed, resuming his walk towards Jackson. Once he got closer, Jackson could practically sense his presence, so the idol turned around. “Hurry up,” said Jackson. “It's cold out here, we should get inside. It'll be your fault if I get sick right before the tour.”

Those words made Mark walk a little faster, but not exactly because he wanted to, more because he didn't want to upset Jackson, considering it was possible he was already in hot water. When he reached Jackson, the other was grinning impossibly wide. “Hi, Mark.”

“Hi J-Jackson.” Mark avoided Jackson's gaze as the embarrassment washed over him like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, Mark's pursuit in avoiding the eyes of the idol was ended, as the nimble fingers of Jackson wrapped around Mark's chin softly, tipping his chin up so that their eyes met. Jackson's gaze was so intense, it seemed as if Jackson was searching to an answer of a question hidden in Mark's eyes. “Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?”

Mark's breathing was slow as he peered into the eyes of the idol. There was no way now to avoid his stare, but Mark so desperately wanted to hide from Jackson in this moment. “I.. You heard what I said earlier, and —”

“— Why would you think that you thinking I'm attractive would make a difference? You're an _assistant_ ,” Jackson tilts his head slightly, his eyes running along Mark's jawline. Soon enough, his fingertips were softly padding along the trail of his jawline his eyes had went along. “If it's any assurance, I think you're cute too. Cuter than any of the other assistants I've had.”

“R-Really?”

Mark shuddered as Jackson's hand ran down his arm slowly. When it reached his hand, Mark held in his breath, until —

Jackson snatched the bag of strawberry milk out of his assistant's hand. “Took you long enough, I've been waiting 20 minutes for this milk,” Jackson opened the bottle, taking a swig of the milk. “I had to stare at pictures of strawberry milk to keep my want for it alive. You should work on hurrying up.”

Astonished, Mark watched as Jackson took the bag of goods and walked up to the front door of the dorm. Did Jackson do all that because he found Mark cute, or was it because he wanted the bag in Mark's hand? He wasn't quite sure, and he stood there, staring at the ground in confusion.

“Hey!” Jackson turned around, holding the door open. “Like I said, you have to work on hurrying up. Do you want to get sick or something?”

Mark shook his head, following the path to the front door. He entered after Jackson, savoring the warmth in favor to the cold breeze. Jackson was peering into the bag as the two walked to Jackson's door. “Ooh, you bought enough for you and lover birds Jaebum hyung and Jinyoung-ee! And you bought the cakes I like.” Jackson takes a moment to grin back at Mark. “How utterly considerate of you.” Jackson opens the door to his dorm, and inside sat Jinyoung and Jaebum, sitting too close to each other to be comfortable. They were laughing as they spoke, and Mark's heart swelled unbelievably.

Until a sudden realization came over him. Had Jackson heard enough of the conversation to hear Mark call Jinyoung cute? If so, had Jinyoung been there when Mark had called him cute? Would that ruin their newfound friendship as well? Would Jaebum dislike Mark now? Mark grabbed Jackson's arm, and the idol spun to look at him. “Were they there when.. You know.. I said all that stuff?”

“When you called me cute?”

Mark could feel the color in his face escaping him as he paled in embarrassment. “Is that all you heard?”

“The first thing I heard was someone saying that you hadn't had a crush in months, then I was mentioned.” Jackson glances at Jaebum and Jinyoung, who hadn't noticed he and Mark had entered. “No, they weren't in the room, they just got here.”

“Oh. W-Well, why did you hang up? You know, eavesdropping on people's phone calls isn't p-polite!” Mark stammers.

Jackson folds his arm, interest twinkling in his eyes. “You shouldn't be talking about me if I'm not there do defend myself. Did you expect me to hang up when I heard my name being thrown around? Also,” Jackson taps his fingers against the bottom of the base of Mark's neck. “Your heart is beating really fast. You might wanna get that checked.”

Mark squawks indignantly, but as Jackson walked over to Jaebum and Jinyoung were, Mark placed two fingers over his throat. Jackson was right, his heart was beating unusually fast. Mark inwardly curses at the traitorous organ under his skin before going over to walk to his friends. Jackson had already dispersed the goodies Mark had bought at the store to the other two, and when Mark sat down, a bottle of strawberry milk and a cake were shoved into his hands.

“Mark, I have to pay you back for all this.” Jackson gestures to all the good the four were snacking on.

“No, no, you don't have to.” Mark shakes his head, but Jackson seems persistent.

“I don't have to, but I will.”

“Okay,” Mark relents, knowing he can't win with Jackson, really. “You said you had to talk to me, right? Is everything okay?”

“Oh! Yeah, it's something that you might not be happy about exactly.” Jackson chuckles almost nervously, exchanging a glance with Jinyoung.

And Mark sighs, this was it, Jackson was going to fire him. Mark braces himself, and whispers quietly. “I've never been fired before, so get on with it, please.”

Jackson glares at Mark incredulously, as does Jinyoung. “Fire you? Why would I fire you?” Jackson is laughing, and eventually Jaebum and Jinyoung are too. Mark feels embarrassed, but he doesn't let that show, he simply stays silent. “I was just going to confirm that you'd be willing to come with me on tour. We need to buy the tickets and book hotels and stuff like that.”

So, Mark wasn't getting fired. And he had just spent twenty five dollars on snacks, thinking he was going to get fired.

“Why wouldn't I be happy about that?”

“I don't know, some people don't like leaving where they've been for so long.” Jackson shrugs. And that's the truth, Mark thinks.

“You told me the day I started that if I didn't want to come with you on the tour you'd fire me.”

“Oh. I did say that.”

Jaebum speaks up then. “Truthfully, it was probably because he didn't think you'd last as long as you have.”

“It's optional, Mark, if you would rather stay home, you can.” Jinyoung shrugs, sipping on his strawberry milk. As Mark stares at the manager, he realizes Jaebum's hand is curled around Jinyoung's ever so slightly. Jaebum seems to notice, and his hand moves from Jinyoung's — oh, that's not what Mark wanted to happen.

“No, no, I'm going to come,” Mark smiles, taking a bite of his own cake. “What would be the point of me not coming? Who would do my job while I'm gone? Jinyoung-ssi already has enough on his hands.”

“It's settled, then! I'll go book the hotel rooms, and your tickets.” Jinyoung smiles, moving to stand up from his seat. “Jackson, I'm clocking out for the day and going home. Mark-ssi, you want me to walk you to your car?”

Mark was ready to leave as well, and he was about to take Jinyoung up on his offer, until Jackson, who was now lounging beside the older boy, spoke up for him. “No, Jinyoung-ee, I have something to give Mark.”

Jaebum and Jinyoung exchange a glance at Jackson's words, but both are silent as they say their goodbyes, and then walk out of the dorm. Mark and Jackson are alone again, and suddenly, Mark wishes the presence of Jinyoung or Jaebum were there. Jackson slides over slightly, before grabbing Mark's hand and dragging him onto the couch next to him. They're sitting side by side, shoulders practically touching, a silence lingering in the air. It wasn't uncomfortable, in reality, Mark welcomed the silence, it was something he hadn't gotten in a while, and neither had Jackson.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Jackson leans down, and places his head onto Mark's lap. The idol releases a shaky sigh as he lays there soundlessly. Mark, unsure of what to do, reaches down and softly strokes Jackson's hair, knowing that that had always made him feel better if he was upset. “You okay?”

“Me? I'm fine,” Jackson replies, and he doesn't sound upset, and by his facial features, he doesn't look upset either. “I just, I want it to be quiet, but I don't want to be alone. When I'm alone I get lonely and upset. Just sit here with me and don't talk, okay?”

“Okay.” Mark says, not sure of what else to really say. He didn't mind, because when he had said he had wanted to be friends with Jackson, he meant it. He wanted to be someone Jackson could confide in, but he had to work his way up for that. He'd start off, Mark thinks, by doing small things like this. He had nowhere to be, and nowhere to go, so why not?

Mark continues to stroke Jackson's hair, humming an old song softly. It seemed to make Jackson feel calm, as Mark watches the idol's whole body ease. Mark laid his head back on the couch, his eyes closing. His eyes opened only when Mark heard small snores being admitted from the boy in his lap. Jackson had fallen asleep.

Unsure of what to do next, Mark's leans his head back against the couch, his hand in Jackson's hand slowing down. Jackson looks so angelic sleeping, his lips parted almost slightly, his blonde hair contrasting nicely against the dark wash of Mark's jeans. He looked calm, and it made Mark smile. He closes his own eyes, taking a nap just for a little bit, wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?

Mark's version of a little nap turns out to be much longer than a few minutes rest, as he wakes up almost three hours later, Jackson still asleep in his lap. He takes out his phone from his side pocket, while being careful not to wake up Jackson. The screen says 11:30, and under the time were several texts, mostly from Youngjae asking where he was and if he was okay. But, Mark was surprised to see one from Jinyoung, saying that he and Jaebum wanted to make sure he'd gotten home okay, and that Jackson was okay when he left.

“You're not taking pictures of me to sell to Dispatch, right?”

Jackson's voice startled Mark enough for the older boy to squeak, and drop his phone — which ended up landed on Jackson's face. The idol groans, his right hand flying to cradle his left eye.

“Oh — I'm sorry, you scared me!” Mark apologizes.

“Yeah,” Jackson sighs. “I could see that.”

“Is your eye okay?” Mark asks, his question only slightly laced with worry.

“I don't know, are you gonna kiss it better?” Jackson asks with a flirty grin, and Mark hiccups, because he definitely hadn't been expecting a reply like that.

“No,” Mark stammers, because the way Jackson was staring at him was making him feel as if he was about the melt, and he disliked it so much. It's because he's an idol, Mark tells himself, they're all charming and attractive. Mark stands up all too suddenly, grabbing his phone from the couch. “So, I'm going to go now, okay?”

Mark heads towards the door, but Jackson keeps him in the dorm room by grabbing Mark's hand, and pulling him back. “Hold on, would you? I need to give you something.” Jackson turns his back to Mark as he gets up, walking over to his nightstand. Making sure his back hid his actions, Mark could hear drawers being open and closed, until an aha slipped from Jackson's lips. The idol heads back over to Mark with an envelope in one hand, and what looked like a wallet. He opens both the envelope and wallet, placing several bills into the wallet before handing it over to Mark.

“What's this?”

Jackson rolls his eyes. “What do you think? It's your salary. Unless you don't want it, I mean, I can take it back —”

“— It's okay, I'll keep it.” Mark interrupts hastily, placing the envelope into his pocket.

“You're free to go now.” Jackson informs Mark, as he goes to lay down on his bed. “Lock the door when you leave, will you?”

Mark nods silently, heading towards the door, his stomach in knots. Jackson was so difficult, and so Mark couldn't figure him out completely. Mark places his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave the dorm, until Jackson's voice made him pause. “Oh, and Mark? I know you said your crush was over, but don't dream about me,” And Mark could hear the grin in Jackson's voice. “You might fall for me.”

Mark scoffs at Jackson's words, exiting the dorm quickly, but blushing nevertheless. Fall for Jackson? As if.


	9. It's Not a Date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curious to where his friends and employers had gone, Mark roamed around the studio, hoping he wouldn't get any trouble for peeking past the studio doors. “Jinyoung-ssi? Jackson-ah?” 
> 
> He heard hushed whispers in the room across the hall, and there, in the smaller dance room, he found the two he had been looking for. Jinyoung and Jackson were huddled against a wall, the manager tilting a bottle of water to idol's lips with one hand, while the other hand pressed what looked like a towel over the top half of Jackson's face. The sight made Mark's stomach drop. “What happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT HAPPENS sort of. You got Mark with some messed up feelings, and a bunch of other things that'll tie into later chapters. Look, I updated on time! Are you guys proud? I'm proud! Just to let you know: official updates for this fic will be Wednesdays at 2:00 pm (EST time). A n y w a y! I hope you all enjoy the chapter, I had some muse, so. Also comments definitely make my day, and make me write just a litttttle bit faster. Enjoy :)

The week leading up to the opening concert were the most busy days Mark had ever experienced as Jackson's assistant. There were so many to things to check over, and hours upon hours of practice, making Jackson work until his feet were sore and his throat only the slightest bit scratchy. If Mark had thought Jackson had been extremely tired the week before, because currently, Jackson looked absolutely exhausted.

There was so much pressure being put on Jackson for this tour to be a success, he had everything to lose, but at the same time a lot to gain. Who knows what would happen to Jackson's solo career if his tour didn't do as well as the company was projecting. With that on his mind, Jackson pushed himself, harder, and harder. The company wasn't the only one pressuring Jackson, he himself was, and that was even more dangerous.

It was the Wednesday before the big concert, and while Jackson was in dance practice, Mark had been asked to go pick up green tea for Jackson, since the idol liked to have it after an intense practice. Mark had gone when asked, stopping by the café when he knew Youngjae would be on shift. After greeting his best friend, he made the green tea and directly went back to the studio. He had left while Jackson was practicing one of his dance breaks, but Mark came back to a quiet, almost still studio. He'd only been away for a good fifteen minutes, and Jackson wasn't even halfway through practice when he'd left, practice couldn't have been over! “Jackson? Jinyoung-ssi?”

Curious to where his friends and employers had gone, Mark roamed around the studio, hoping he wouldn't get any trouble for peeking past the studio doors. “Jinyoung-ssi? Jackson-ah?”

He heard hushed whispers in the room across the hall, and there, in the smaller dance room, he found the two he had been looking for. Jinyoung and Jackson were huddled against a wall, the manager tilting a bottle of water to idol's lips with one hand, while the other hand pressed what looked like a towel over the top half of Jackson's face. The sight made Mark's stomach drop. “What happened?”

Jinyoung glanced towards the doorway, making eye contact with Mark, who was staring at the two with confusion. “Mark-ssi.”

Mark focused on Jackson, whose body was slack against the wall, and his appearance worried Mark. Jackson's skin was several tones lighter than usual, his lips were pursed together, and the rise and fall of his chest were so, so slow. “Is he okay?” Mark practically drops the green tea, rushing to Jackson's side in worry.

“He's.. okay?” Jinyoung himself didn't sound convinced as the words came out of his mouth, and frankly, neither was Mark. “He was practicing and felt a little dizzy, so we stopped the practice.”

“That's Mark, right? I can tell by his voice.” Jackson's voice was slightly raspy, and immediately after he spoke, Jinyoung shushed him.

“Don't speak, Jackson, rest. But yes, it's Mark.”

Jackson seemingly ignored Jinyoung. “Did Mark bring my green tea?”

“Oh — what? Yes, I have it, yes!” Mark scrambled to reach over to the side and retrieve the medium sized order of green tea he had brought for Jackson. He offers it to Jackson initially, but after seeing how unstable the idol's grip seemed, Mark hands it over to Jinyoung.

Through the bendy straw Mark had conveniently placed through the top of the cup, Jackson sips the liquid with a newfound thirst. While Jackson sipped, Mark managed to glance over at Jinyoung, who was holding the cup to Jackson's lips, fawning over him with a worried glance. It goes without saying that at that point, Mark truly realized how close Jinyoung and Jackson really were — “I'd do almost anything for Jackson,” Jinyoung had told Mark, once, when the two were alone. “He's my best friend. I'm the only family he has in Korea, and he's my only family near here.”

Mark reaches over to place his arm onto Jinyoung's shoulder. “Jinyoung-ssi,” Mark's voice is soft, quiet, like usual. “Do you want to go get Jaebum? Or someone who could help? I'll stay here with Jackson.”

Jinyoung seems reluctant to leave Jackson, at first not replying to Mark's question. Only until Mark repeated Jinyoung's name did Jinyoung hand over the cup to Mark, and hesitantly stood from his kneeled position on the floor.

“Jinyoung? Where are you going?” It was Jackson's voice, because Mark saw the idol's lips moving, but it didn't sound like Jackson.

“Going to get Jaebum, and then staff. They have a medic somewhere in the studio, don't they?”

“No.” Jackson's body jerks, and he shakes his head vigorously. Mark moved over to place one hand over Jackson's, to soothe him, because surely moving his head like that didn't help his current condition?

“What do you mean no, Jackson?” Jinyoung asks the question calmly, no malice or irritation in his tone, simply curiosity — Mark was curious himself.

“I haven't felt this bad in a while. So, please, don't go get anyone.”

“But if you've never felt this bad in a while, doesn't that mean you should go get someone?” Mark questioned Jackson quietly.

“No, it's not,” Jackson's teeth were gritted, but his voice was barely loud enough to be heard by Jinyoung and Mark. “You don't get it. If you go tell anyone, and I am sick what if.. What if they postpone my tour? Or cancel it,” And at this point, the cold compress was off Jackson's face, and the worry in his eyes were put on display. “Please, Jinyoung-ssi. Please.” Jackson is actually begging and Mark never thought he'd see this sight. Jackson always told Mark he was too proud to beg, that he shouldn't have to beg considering who he was.

Mark wasn't sure if Jinyoung was swayed or not, considering the manager was still stationed in the middle of the room, leaning towards the door. “Jackson. You would've passed out if I hadn't sat you down, we should at least get the medic to check you over, just to be safe.” Jinyoung doesn't spare a glance towards Mark as he walks out the door, but he knows that when the manager speaks next, it was directed towards him. “I'll be right back, watch him, please?”

“Jinyoung.” Jackson's voice is wobbly, weak, and Mark's heart skips a beat. “If you walk out that door right now, I —”

“You'll what?” Jinyoung sounds challenging, and Mark isn't sure what to anticipate, really.

“I'm not going to guarantee you'll have a job when you come back.” Jackson stammers out weakly, a thread that he himself knew he wouldn't go through with. It was more said just to be said, to see if Jinyoung would stay. However, it was still said, no matter for what reason.

Mark gasped at Jackson's words, almost in disbelief that the idol would even make a threat such as that, especially towards Jinyoung.

Jinyoung's walk comes to a sudden stop, and his body turns halfway, his stare incredulous. “After all we've been through, you'd really say that, huh?” Jinyoung scoffs, heading towards the door. “That's low, Jackson, but you'd never go through with it.”

Jackson whimpers in self pity, leaning his head against the wall, eyes faced up to the ceiling.

“Jackson..” Mark started, but wasn't quite sure what to say next. Did he ask if Jackson was okay? Did he discuss what Jackson just said to Jinyoung? Or did he simply stay quiet? Mark decides to take a different route, and hopes Jackson didn't shut down. “Does this happen a lot?”

Jackson seems surprised by the question initially, and he's quiet at first, as if he was unsure how to answer the question. “Only when I overwork myself. It's fine, I didn't pass out, I'm fine.” But Mark didn't believe his words, and judging by Jackson's eyes, the idol didn't believe himself either.

“Almost passing out doesn't mean you're fine, Jackson. You can't overwork yourself like this, it's not healthy for you.”

“Mark, there are new groups almost every month and I feel like I constantly have to work harder and harder to make sure I don't become irrelevant. This is all I've wanted,” Jackson's quiet. “I can't let it get away. I have to work this hard, how will I get to the top if I don't?”

“Irrelevant? Do you know how many fans you have? You have so many, with accounts dedicated to you, and fans who'll follow you always, do you actually think you'd become irrelevant? You're one of the hottest acts right now!”

“How long will it be until there's another hot new act?”

And it was painful to Mark to hear the confident Jackson Wang talk so lowly of himself. He really didn't know his own popularity, and how many people truly love him and his music. “Even when there's going to be a new act, you won't fade, Jackson. Continue to work hard and create good music, but don't overdo it, all your fans wants you to stay healthy.” Mark was trying to be positive, but also convincing — he wasn't sure if it was working. “You want to keep doing this for a while, don't you? You won't be able to keep doing music if you overwork yourself, you'll get sick, and then you'll have to stop. Take care of yourself, just like you tell all your fans to.“

It's quiet, and Mark's frowning. Did _he_ talk too much? Or were his _words_ too much? After a few minutes, a very Jackson like grin spreads across the idol's lips. “Are you a fanboy? Is that how you know how many fans I have? Do you have a secret account dedicated to me too?”

”Jackson —” Mark realizes that Jackson is diverging from the topic, but the idol is at least smiling now, and he would rather keep it like that than going back to him bring sad. Jackson seemed to joke around to make himself feel better when sad, Mark noticed.

“— That would make sense, I remember your friend on the phone saying you flipped when you saw my teasers. I don't think I'd be freaked out if you had a fan account, I think I'd be flattered.”

Mark was blushing furiously as Jackson brought up the phone incident. He was hoping Jackson wouldn't take notice of the red tint on his cheeks, but his hopes were in vain, as Jackson most definitely did point it out. “You're so cute when you're blushing!”

“I am older than you! Don't call me cute!” Mark stammers.

“But, you're not just cute, you're _so_ cute —”

Mark hushes the idol by placing the green tea to his lips, grateful that Jackson stopped talking and started sipping on the tea. He didn't even want to think about how embarrassing the phone call incident was, and he most definitely didn't want to talk about it. “Now that I have you quiet,” Mark begins. “Apologize to Jinyoung when he comes back, he does so much for you, don't act like that towards him. And if he comes back with a medic or something, you tell them exactly how you're feeling, do you understand?”

Jackson nods in understanding, and feeling satisfied, Mark takes the straw away from Jackson's lips. Bad idea.

“You sound like Jinyoung,” whined Jackson. “Do you like giving demands? Is this a kink of yours, Mark-ssi? You like ordering idols around? Should I keep this in mind?” Jackson _tsked_. “Mark Tuan, full of surprises.“

Jinyoung was his life saver then, as the manager walks back into the studio with nobody else but Jaebum. Even if Jackson had indirectly threatened to fire him, Jackson listened to him. Jaebum looks worried, but also slightly angered. “You are such a brat, sometimes, Jackson. Threatening to fire Jinyoung, unbelievable,” said Jaebum. “You're also a brat now, you're obviously not feeling well, so we're taking you home, and you're going to rest, do you understand me?”

Jackson leans over, whispering oh so quietly to Mark. “Jaebum hyung likes giving demands too, as you can see. I wonder how that goes over with Jinyoung-ssi,” Jackson turns back to Jinyoung first. “I'm sorry, Jinyoung-ssi. It was my _overwhelming_ fever that caused me to even think about firing you.” He turns to Jaebum. “And I'll rest. Promise.”

After Jackson agrees to rest, Jaebum takes one of his arms, going ahead of Jinyoung and Mark to help Jackson to the car. Jinyoung and Mark stay back to collect Jackson's training bags, and close down the room they were in. Mark turns to Jinyoung as they're about to leave. “This really ruins my plans, huh?”

“I mean, it depends on how Jackson's feeling, really,” Jinyoung shrugs, shutting the light in the studio off. “Where were you planning to take him tomorrow, anyway?”

“Just for lunch and that amusement park a few towns over? I remember him saying that he liked it and wanted to go. I thought we could wear some sun glasses and hats and go, but,” Mark sighs. “I guess if he's not feeling too well, that might not be the best idea.”

“Don't count on him not feeling well, Jackson'll eat, rest, and drink some tea and I can guarantee he'll feel better in a little bit.” Jinyoung told Mark, and Mark nodded.

“I guess we'll just have to see, right?” The two then walked out of the studio, going to meet Jaebum and Jackson by the car.

* * *

They arrived to Jackson's dorm about twenty minutes later, the three settling in while Jackson rested.

Mark's eyes were on Jackson's resting figure, eyes closed, chest rising and falling slowly. After a while, he returned his attention to Jinyoung and Jaebum, who were whispering quietly. “He should eat, right?” Mark suggested, and Jinyoung nodded.

“It's my fault, I forget to tell him to eat breakfast, all he had was toast and half a cup of tea. Eating is probably a good idea.“ Jinyoung looked guilty, and Mark felt bad, because Jinyoung wasn't really the blame, but the manager obviously felt that way.

“It's not your fault, Jinyoung,” Jaebum sighs, rubbing Jinyoung's back. “You're not his keeper, okay? You're not to blame for everything bad that happens to Jackson.”

“Okay..” Jinyoung nods in understanding, leaning in to Jaebum for a hug. Jaebum looked hesitant, but eventually pulled Jinyoung in, talking to him in hushed whispers.

Feeling awkward watching the two, Mark turns to the small kitchenette Jackson had in his room, rummaging through the cabinets. Did Jackson have something he could cook, or would he have to order? Mark didn't have to look very much, the second cabinet he opened was filled to the brim with instant ramen cups. A cup skid out of the cabinet when opened and plopped onto Mark's head. “My gosh.” Mark rolled his eyes, taking five cups of the ramen from the cabinet. One for everyone except Jackson, who Mark thought should have two, just because he hadn't eaten today.

While the ramen cooked in the mini microwave, Mark pulled out his phone, scrolling through his unread texts. Some were from Youngjae asking if he was okay, the others were some unread texts sent by Jackson earlier, and a handful were from his parents and siblings. His mom texted that she had seen a picture of “ _a boy that definitely looked like you, Markie_ ” then followed up with a text asking if he worked for Jackson Wang. He was going to send a quick text, but the beeper on the microwave went off, so Mark slid his phone into his pocket to open the microwave.

He took the hot ramen cups out, placing them two by two onto the small countertop Jackson had. Jackson conveniently only had plastic cutlery and a few packets of chopsticks, so Mark used those. Jinyoung and Jaebum were quiet now, Jaebum just holding Jinyoung. Mark passed them each a ramen cup. “You guys eat too, okay?”

Jinyoung broke away from Jaebum, his eyes focused on the food Mark placed in front of him. “Thank you, Mark-ssi.” Jinyoung said, graciously bowing his head before taking a ramen cup. Jaebum followed in suit, thanking him as well.

After, Mark brought his own and Jackson's two ramen cups over to the bed, where Jackson was lying down. Mark expected Jackson to be sleeping, but when he neared the bed, Mark saw Jackson's eyes open, practically staring holes into the floor. “Jackson?”

Jackson turned his body towards Mark. “Hi, Mark.”

Mark awkwardly thrust the ramen cup towards Jackson, watching as the idol's eyes flickered from the ramen back to Mark. “I made you ramen. So you can eat, because you must be hungry.”

“Technically,” Jackson begins, taking the cup. “You didn't make the ramen, you just heated it up. Also,” Jackson hungrily took a mouthful of the noodles. ”This isn't the organic kind, but, I'll deal with it.”

“There's such thing as organic ramen?“ Mark asks.

“Would I be condemning you about not making it for me if there weren't? It's in the left cabinet.”

“If you only eat organic ramen, then why do you have so many of the regular kind?”

“For entertainment reasons, I have to be a good host, and if someone comes over to my humble dorm, I should offer them tea or ramen,” Jackson sighs dramatically, slurping the noodles. “Not everyone could be healthy as me. I have to have a variety.”

Mark deadpans. “You apparently only have chicken flavor of the regular kind or organic kind.”

Jackson nodded. “See? That's two choices right there. Variety.”

Mark rolled his eyes, knowing he really couldn't win. “Anyway. How are you feeling?”

“Admittedly, a little drained, but better. Lying down helps, and I guess having some food in my stomach does too. I'll feel totally better tomorrow, hopefully.”

Mark glances down at his own ramen, swirling the noodles around with a chopstick. “Oh man. I guess tomorrow's plans are cancelled.”

Jackson looked up, eyes wide in curiosity. “Plans? What plans?”

“Well, we were gonna slash your afternoon schedule, and take you for lunch and that amusement park with the rides you said you liked.” It was supposed to be a surprise, but considering Jackson's health, he might not be able to go, so why not just tell him Mark figures.

“The four of us?!”

Jackson looked excited, but Mark shook his head, biting his lip nervously. “Well, uh, not exactly. Jinyoung and Jaebum have stuff to do tomorrow, so it was going to be just you and me, with some bodyguards behind.” Mark eats some noodles, sighing teasingly. “But, if you're not feeling well, you might as well rest..—”

“— Mark Tuan is taking me on a date? Wow, what a gentleman. I love spontaneous dates —”

Mark protests. “— It's not a date —”

Jackson winks several times in exaggeration, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. “— Sure it's not. I've been waiting for you to ask me out, and you indirectly did it. Do you want me to ask surprised when you whisk me away tomorrow? I'll pretend I'm surprised.”

Mark simply stares at Jackson, not really sure what to say. “You really are something, Jackson Wang.”

Jackson practically preens, humming happily as he moves his shoulders. “I haven't been on a date in a while, you know, being an idol and all,” Jackson still insists it's a date, and really, it's not a date, but Mark finds some satisfaction in Jackson liking the thought of it being date. It's still not a date, though. “And you said you were going to be taking me for lunch? Are you paying, or should I somehow bring my wallet?”

Mark choked, not expecting that question. “I — Uh, well, of course I could pay for you!”

“That was a trick question. I like a person who offers to pay, but don't worry, Mark! I will most definitely pay for our,” Jackson winks with both eyes. “Lunch date.”

“Jackson we're only going out if you feel well. I don't want to take you out if you're not feeling well.”

This comment must've stirred something in Jackson, because the idol starts munching on the noodles with a newfound hunger, also finishing the bottle of water on the nightstand in only a few sips. “I must feel better!” Jackson declares, shimmying his shoulders. “Because cute assistant Mark Tuan from Taiwan is taking me on a date!”

Mark glances over at Jaebum and Jinyoung, who were practically grinning at Jackson and Mark. Jinyoung sends a bunch of finger hearts, while Jarbum sends over exaggerated air kisses. “I hate everyone in this room.” Mark grumbles.

After they ate, Jackson told his friends that he was going to go to sleep extra early that night. Then, he proceeded to kick Jaebum, Jinyoung, and Mark out of his dorm after only an hour. “I have to prepare for tomorrow, so get out.” Jackson told his friends, grabbing a hold of each hand and dragging them to the door. Everyone seemed a little tired, so nobody really was bothered by being escorted of the dorm by Jackson.

“Mark-ssi!” Jackson calls from the doorway, as Mark was halfway down the wall.

Mark turns around.

“I'll look extra good for our date tomorrow! I hope you will too!” Jackson then shuts the door.

Mark sighs, thinking about why he ever thought taking Jackson out would be a good idea.

* * *

The next day, it was practice as usual. Jaebum couldn't accompany them because he had some songs to record for his upcoming album repackage, so it was just Jackson, Jinyoung, and Mark. Jackson went to vocal training, Mark stood by watching, and Jinyoung went to arrange some things. After that, Jackson had a quick run through of the opening night, the choreographer going over the dancers with him, and specifying which songs were sung when. It was nice to watch Jackson, even in training, he was energetic and enthusiastic about performing.

Before Mark knew it, Jackson's morning schedule was over, and now it was his time to take over. Jackson skipped over to Mark when the tour run through was over, looking hyper as ever. “Mark-ssi, you didn't cancel our date right?”

Mark was just about to tell Jackson that it wasn't a date, but stopped himself — just go with it, Mark tells himself, indulge him a little bit. “No, Jackson-ah, the date's still on. Just go get ready, I'll go talk to Jinyoung.”

Jackson nods eagerly, rushing over to where his black duffel was stationed against the mirror. He grabs the bag, and rushed to the bathroom.

Mark walked over to Jinyoung, who was slipping on his jacket. “Going to your meeting, Jinyoung-ee?”

Jinyoung smiles, nodding. “Just about! Sorry I couldn't come with you and Jackson today. I'm sure you guys'll have a lot of fun. He's excited.”

“Yeah, I can tell. He keeps saying it's a date.” Mark laughs.

Jinyoung raises his eyebrows. “It's not a date? Huh. I really thought it was. What is it then?”

Mark gasps, fumbling over his words. “What are you implying?”

“I'm implying that I thought you and Jackson were going on a date. At least, one of you thinks so,” Jinyoung pauses, taking amusement at Mark's flustering. “Or maybe both of you thinks it is, maybe one of them just doesn't want to admit it.”

“Are you trying to say I like Jackson?”

“If I was, what would you say?” Jinyoung inquires.

“I don't like him! I really don't. He's my boss, that's all.” It was the truth, Mark tells himself. He wouldn't lie, Jackson was most definitely attractive, and Mark wouldn't say that he wasn't attracted to the idol, but that's where it stops. They were friends, and that's it.

“Do you want him to be more than your boss?” Jinyoung asks, and the question lingers in the air. Mark hadn't ever really considered if he liked Jackson, he always told himself he didn't like him, how could he? He was stubborn, sometimes rude, extremely hard to deal with, cute, caring — _wait_.

“Of course not!” Mark says, maybe a little bit too quickly, because Jinyoung is grinning widely.

“Whatever you say.” Jinyoung chuckles, but then nods his head in a different direction. “There's your totally platonic date.”

Mark turns around, spotting Jackson sporting a wide, excited grin. “Ready to go, Mark?”

Mark swallows, his whole body growing a little bit feverish. Jackson looked unbelievable, wearing a simple outfit consisting of a black t shirt and ripped jeans, but somehow he managed to make Mark's stomach knot. When the idol notices how choked up the boy was, he does a full turn, grinning widely. “You like?” Jackson asks, walking up to Mark. He leans down, whispering. “You look good too.”

And Mark should be flattered, he should tell Jackson thank you and that he threw together the outfit in only a minute. But instead, he was embarrassed, because Mark had actually woken up early to put together an outfit. He stood in front of the mirror for minutes and minutes, trying to find something that would look good on him. He wouldn't say it, but something he hoped Jackson would like. Okay, so maybe he cared a little bit about today, but it wasn't a date, it was just something fun to relive stress before the tour. That's all.

From behind Mark, Jinyoung was grinning madly. “Have fun you two! Text me when you're there, and when you eat, and when you're on your way back —”

“— Hey, Jinyoung, don't worry about me. I'm going on a date with cute assistant Mark Tuan from Taiwan,“ Jackson called, rolling his eyes. “He's responsible and will bring me home on time, I will text you.. _Once_.”

“Jackson —“

“— Bye, Jinyoung-ee!” Jackson grabbed Mark's hand then, dragging him out of the room quickly, flying down the hallway. They only stopped running until they were outside and walking towards Mark's car.

“I am most definitely surprised,” Jackson nods, arms in the air. “I cannot believe you're taking me out, I didn't even dress for the occasion —”

“— _Jackson_.”

Jackson coughs. “Yeah. Right, sorry.”

It was quiet until they got into the car, putting on seat belts while Mark turned on the car. “So, do you want to go to lunch or rides first?” Mark asks, glancing over at Jackson in the passenger seat.

“Why are you asking me?” Jackson scoffs. “You're supposed to surprise me, not ask me what I want!” Jackson pauses. “But, if say, you _weren't_ trying to surprise me, and you asked, I would say rides first.”

“Okay, so we'll go to lunch —”

“— _Surprise_.” Jackson warned.

“Okay, fine, whatever. You're going to be totally, absolutely surprised don't you worry!” Mark said, only with the slightest bit of sarcasm.

Jackson seemed to have picked it up. “Is that sarcasm?”

“Maybe..”

It's quiet, until Jackson asks a question. “Mark, have you ever been on a date recently?”

Mark pauses. His grip on the steering wheel tightens, and he shifts almost uncomfortably. “Why do you ask?”

Mark's trying to keep his eyes on the road, but he can practically feel Jackson's eyes on him. Jackson's left hand is on Mark's right shoulder, rubbing small circles through the shirt. It was absolutely distracting, and Mark tried to lean away from the touch but Jackson insisted. “Well, you seem really nervous,” Jackson says lowly, applying more pressure onto Mark's shoulder. “So, I'm figuring it's either you're nervous because you haven't dated in a while, which is totally okay, or.. You're nervous because you're on a date with me. I can't figure out which it is.”

Mark stays quiet, because even he himself wasn't quite sure which it was. He was sure it was the latter, and he was ready to tell Jackson that, until Jinyoung's words popped into his head — do you want him to be more than your boss? “It's because I haven't dated in a while.”

Mark notices that Jackson leans away. From the corner of his eye, he can see Jackson tense up, a small frown on the idol's face. “Oh. Okay.”

Mark sighed deeply. His feelings were absolutely a mess right now, he didn't even know how he really felt. And it was all because of Park Jinyoung and his words with double meanings. He had to get his feelings together before everything got messed up. _Really_.


	10. Interrupted?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You're probably flirty like this with everyone, right? I'm not special, or anything.”
> 
> Jackson looks confused by Mark's answer, asking lowly. “Have you seen me be flirty with anyone else beside you? Don't you think that tells you something?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for not being able to update last week, I only had half a chapter to post :( so I'm posting today! 10th chapter, I rarely make it this far with fics but here! we! are! I start school next week, and I wanna try to have as many pre written chapters so I don't fall behind. Comments make so happy!! I hope you like this chapter :D

The awkwardness from the car went practically unnoticed minutes later, as Jackson and Mark get into a conversation about the tour and the stops they'd be going to. Jackson's all smiles as he speaks about all the stops, but especially wide when he talks about his native Hong Kong. “Have you ever been to Hong Kong?” Mark shakes his head no, and Jackson seems to burst. “You're going to love it! It's so great, I would be able to be there for the rest of my life if I could! I'll take you around, you can get a native's tour.”

And Jackson is so utterly enthusiastic about Hong Kong, Mark couldn't bring himself to tell him to stop, even when Jackson starts to repeat the same things. His eyes lit up in a way Mark had never seen before, as he tells Mark tidbits of his life before he became an idol. He had been a fencer for the national team, he had trophies upon trophies, he was one of the best in all of Asia. Jackson talked about fencing with an almost melancholy tone, and it would be blatant to anyone who listened that Jackson missed that part of his life, even if it was just a little bit.

“Why'd you stop?“ Mark asked, suddenly curious. “Fencing, I mean. You said you could've been an Olympian like your parents.”

Jackson looks at the road upon him, considering Mark's question carefully before answering. “I wanted to be someone that would be remembered, I wanted to be able to make people happy, be recognized all over. With music, I could do that.” Jackson explains. “You know when something just pulls you, and you know that you shouldn't do it, but it's calling out to you and you just have to do it? That was me with music. Sometimes I miss the life I had before, and there's times when I sit and wonder how my life would've been if I hadn't pursued music but,” Jackson is smiling now. “I wouldn't have met my best friends. Jinyoung, Jaebum, or you, so, I don't regret doing what I do right now.”

And Mark couldn't help but smile along with Jackson. Something stirred in his stomach, something like happiness. Mark tried to push it away, but the feeling wouldn't go away. He didn't mean to ask the next question, but it just slips past his lips. “You consider me a close friend, Jackson?”

Jackson rolls his eyes as if that was a silly question. “Well, duh? I've seen you every day for the past what.. two months? Almost three months? Not to mention you're absolutely dedicated to me, so how could I not consider you a close friend?”

“Hey!”

“Oh, yes I'm sorry.” Jackson pointed his finger at Mark, chuckling. “You're absolutely dedicated to me, and you had a crush on me. Lucky for you, I'm not one to reject cute assistants from Taiwan.”

Mark deadpans. “Have you ever had a cute assistant from Taiwan?”

“Of course,” Jackson leans over to ruffle Mark's hair. “You!“

Mark quite literally whines, swatting Jackson's hands away with his free hand. “Stop touching me when I'm driving!”

“Oh I see. You want me to touch you when you're not driving?” Jackson attempts at clarification, grinning widely, but Mark only turns him down.

“No, don't touch me at all!” Mark sighed in distress, and he could practically feel his blood pressure rising because of much Jackson was stressing him out. “You're stressful, Jackson.“

“You know, it's not good to call someone stressful on the first date,” Jackson pointed out, and there he goes again, calling this a date. “You should at least wait until the second date.”

“This isn't a date!“ Mark groans in frustration. “Why does everyone keep calling this a date!”

“Because it is! It's a perfect drama format. Cute assistant asks charmingly handsome idol out on a date, and then that leads to the follow up date. And then that leads to —“

Mark doesn't even know what to say in response as Jackson rambles on about a perfect drama scenario. So instead, he stays quiet. Jinyoung's words just won't get of of his mind, and he can't stop thinking about his cute and kind Jackson was, and how he wouldn't mind going on a second date, and a third date, and a fourth —

“— Are you uncomfortable when I say these like that?” Jackson's question snaps Mark out of his thoughts, and the older is grateful. He's looking into his relationship with Jackson way too much. “I'm sorry I don't mean to, I'll stop.” Jackson sounds worried instead of excited like he had been before, and it flips a switch in Mark.

“You mean your flirting with me? I don't mind,” Mark reassures Jackson quickly, and he could hear the idol sigh in relief. Mark tries to brush off the fact that the flirting did bother him, it made him question everything he thought he was sure of. “You're probably flirty like this with everyone, right? I'm not special, or anything.”

Jackson looks confused by Mark's answer, asking lowly. “Have you seen me be flirty with anyone else beside you? Don't you think that tells you something?”

And it definitely does tell him something, Mark knows. Jackson wasn't subtle with dropping the hints that he thought Mark was cute, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Jackson would date him. Like, Mark thinks Jackson is absolutely the best looking guy he's ever seen, with one of the kindest hearts, but that doesn't mean he wants to date him — or, that's what he's telling himself. “That means you think I'm —”

Jackson phone rings, and under his breath, the idol curses lowly in his native Cantonese. He grumbles something about bad timing before picking up the phone. “Jinyoung-ee, we're still in the car! We haven't even gotten to the park yet.” Jackson pauses, and the phone's volume was loud enough that he could hear Jinyoung speaking. “Mark-ssi was about to tell me something!” They spoke for a few minutes, Mark only hearing one side of the conversation, but he was able to pick up that Jackson was supposed to send a quick post about the tour to his followers on Instagram and Weibo. Jackson told Jinyoung he'd do it later, but apparently he had to do it now — company orders.

When Jackson hangs up, he immediately looks to Mark. “The mood is ruined. We'll have to continue this conversation, just not now. Now,” Jackson takes out his phone, angling it in a way that both he and Mark were visible. “Smile for the selfie!”

* * *

They got to the park about twenty or thirty minutes later. It wasn't the closest place the two could've gone to, but Jackson hadn't ever been to an amusement park prior, and he was interested in going. Mark hoped that the sweet smell of treats and the fast rides would relive just a little bit of Jackson's stress.

“Do I still look good with the cap and sunglasses? It's not a little much you don't think?” Jackson asks as Mark pulled into the parking lot, his tone sounding the slightest bit critical as he looks at himself in the mirror.

For security purposes, both Mark and Jackson had to put on caps and sunglasses — this was a day for Jackson to relax, so they were trying for Jackson to enjoy the day unnoticed.

After Mark parked the car, he looked over at Jackson, surprised that he would even ask a question like that. Jackson was practically the king of caps, wearing them a majority of the time. And the sunglasses only made him look better, they didn't hinder his appearance one bit. Mark laughs, pulling on his own cap and sunglasses. “Jackson, are you actually asking me if I think you look good?”

Jackson seems hesitant to answer, as he adjusts the tightness of the cap. “Say I was.. What would you say?”

“I'd say that I think you look good all the time, and right now is no exception.” Mark compliments casually, reaching into his jacket pocket to retrieve the park tickets. “C'mon, I have to take a certain idol on a date.“

Jackson shakes happily before following Mark out of the car. While Mark walks, Jackson is practically skipping in excitement as he speaks about how excited he is. “'Mark-ssi, we're gonna go on all the rides together, and drink lemonade, and — and you're gonna buy me churros, right?”

Mark pats his wallet that was in his back jean pocket, nodding. Jackson had been extremely generous with his last paycheck, practically giving Mark double than what he had been promised. It was too much, and Mark felt bad, so he didn't mind splurging on Jackson. “Of course. I'll buy you whatever you want.”

Jackson practically purred at Mark then, shimmying his shoulders. “Ooh, how generous.”

Mark rolls his eyes playfully as the two reached the amusement park gates. He had already repurchased their passes, so the two slipped into the park with ease, not having to wait on any lines for tickets. The park was filled to the brim with people, mothers with their children, teenagers with their friends, elderly strolling hand in hand. Jackson stayed close by Mark, their shoulders practically touching. “There's a lot of people, Mark-ssi,” Jackson commented, surveying the area around him. “It's nice seeing so many people happy. It makes me happy, too.”

“Yeah, I wish I would've chosen a day with less people, I'm sorry, Jackson-ah.” Mark half heartedly apologizes, despite that Jackson was seemingly enjoying himself.

“Are you kidding? Being here with you is good enough,” Jackson nudges Mark's shoulders. “It's nice that you thought of me, and that's enough for me.”

“You work too much, Jackson. You should be able to have more days like this. Giving you a free day or two shouldn't have to fought for,” Mark shrugs, smiling at the sweet smell of the cotton candy that lingered in the air. “I'm just glad you can relax a little bit before the tour.”

“Me too.” Jackson is chuckling nervously now at the thought of the looming tour dates. “All this practice is stressing me out.”

In an attempt to relieve his stress, Mark tentatively reaches out to rub Jackson's back comfortingly. Jackson seems stunned by the touch, but Mark can visibly notice Jackson's body relaxing after. “You're gonna do great, okay? I know you will.”

Jackson freezes as Mark whispers to him, staring at Mark's cheeks, not knowing where to place his eyes so it seems. “I — uh, well, thank you, Mark-ssi.” Mark sees Jackson trip over his words, and he giggles, it's kind of cute, Mark thinks.

Wait, what?

Mark coughs, moving his body to distance himself from Jackson a bit. The idol frowns at Mark's actions, but stays quiet as they walk to the side of the park with the rides. “Mark-ssi!” Jackson exclaims, pointing to one of the first rides that the two encountered. “Go with me on that one!“

Mark's glance is divided between the ride then back at Jackson. Mark rubs the back of his neck in confusion, as he follows Jackson towards the ride. “You wanna go on the.. the Merry Go Round?“

“Merry Go Round,” Jackson pronounces after Mark, eyes wide as he nods. “Yes, yes I do.”

And that's how the two end up waiting in the moderately sized line, standing beside children small enough to have to look up to actually see Jackson and Mark. Jackson's rambling on and on about something, and Mark isn't quite paying attention, until Jackson reaches over and squeezes Mark's arm. It didn't hurt, really, it just took him off guard.

Mark practically squeaks at the squeeze, the older boy eventually glaring at the idol. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Were you paying attention to me?” Jackson asks, already knowing Mark hadn't been listening. Mark's quiet, and Jackson sighs. “It's okay. I was just saying that Jinyoung and Jaebum have been really close lately.”

“Aren't they usually?”

“Yeah, but like — Jinyoung's been going over to Jaebum's dorm as soon as he's off for the day, and one time, I even saw Jinyoung show up to work wearing one of Jaebum's shirts, and the same pants and blazer he wore the day before.”

“Jackson, you know that they're friends though, right? Maybe Jinyoung just stayed over, or something. Remember when I stayed over and you gave me a shirt?”

Jackson stares at Mark blankly, only giving an reaction as the line moves up. The idol sighs, running a hand up and down his arm. “No wonder he doesn't notice my flirting.“ Jackson whispers under his breath.

“What happened?” Mark asks, not hearing what Jackson said.

“Nothing,” Jackson chuckles. “It's just.. I wonder if they finally got together? Or if they're thinking about it. Jinyoung-ee and Jaebum-ah would be perfect, I know it.”

“You're really rooting for them too, huh?”

“Jaebum's my best friend, and he doesn't tell me everything but I know him well enough to be able to tell when he likes someone. He's only ever flirted with Jinyoung for the past few years.” Jackson shrugs, remembering to keep his voice low. “And Jinyoung's a good actor, but he can't cover up his feelings for Jaebum.” Jackson pauses, glancing over at Mark, making sure to make direct eye contact. “He's like me in that sense, my feelings are usually very obvious.”

The line moves up then, and the ride conductor, albeit some curious looks at the two, allows Jackson and Mark onto the Merry Go Round. Mark didn't respond to his last statement, and Jackson sighs, apparently frustrated. “Mark-ssi.”

Mark and Jackson take a seat on the horses directly next to each other, and Mark turns to Jackson when the idol calls his name. “Yes, Jackson-ah?”

“Did you hear me?”

“What, that Jaebum and Jinyoung like each other? Yeah, I'm rooting for them too, Jackson-ah!”

An an almost fakely enthusiastic chuckle passes Jackson's lips as nods his head slowly, moving his gaze away from Mark. “So frustrating.”

Mark had heard Jackson, of course, how could he have not heard Jackson? From how it seemed, Jackson was making his feelings painfully clear to Mark, and it would've taken a fool to not understand what Jackson was saying. Mark was confused, because usually, he would've told Jackson he wasn't interested, that he didn't like him. But, Choi Youngjae and Park Jinyoung had got him thinking, and now he doesn't know how he feels. And he doesn't want to tell Jackson anything until Mark's completely certain of his feelings — and right now, he was everything but sure. He liked Jackson, sure, Mark thought he was a great guy, who also happened to be extremely attractive. But, did he like Jackson in the way Jackson might've wanted?

 _Oh man_ , Mark thinks, _I'm in_ _trouble_.

Mark looks over at Jackson then, as the idol had been silent for the past few minutes. After the ride, they had stopped to get two lemonades because Jackson had asked, but that was the last they had spoken. “Jackson-ah?” Jackson looked over at Mark with a curious glance, too busy sipping on his lemonade to answer verbally. “Are you okay?”

Jackson's lips pop off the straw suddenly, and suddenly Mark couldn't think about how utterly distracting that simple action was. Jackson's lips purse together, and he takes off his cap to run his hands through his hair. “Me? Oh, Mark-ssi, I'm fine.”

But with the way Jackson was accentuating certain words while he spoke, it made Mark think otherwise. “Jackson-ah, let's have a good time, okay?” Mark says quietly, in an attempt to spark a conversation. Jackson gaze's was focused on everything but Mark, even if the idol hummed in agreement to what Mark said.

Mark stopped walking then, watching as Jackson shifts from to Mark's side to walking in front of him, leaving him behind. He watches the idol's shoulder move back and forth as he walked, and as Jackson moves farther and farther away, Mark frowns, glancing down at his sneakers. Was Jackson really that upset, or —

“Mark hyung!” Mark hears Jackson call from further ahead, the idol glancing around in panic when he didn't spot Mark next to him. When Mark hears his name, he practically runs over to where Jackson was, not wasting even a second. The younger boy sighs in relief once Mark appeared in front of him. “Are you crazy? Leaving me alone in a crowd of people, where'd you go?”

“I was, uh, tying my shoe,” Mark fibs, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly while his eyes focused on Jackson's jawline. “I thought you'd notice I wasn't there.”

“Well, I noticed when I was going to talk to you and you weren't there.”

“Oh.” Mark pauses, tilting his head slightly. “What were you going to tell me?”

“I wanna go on,” Jackson turns his entire body, his index finger pointing to a roller coaster in the distance. “That one.” See, Mark hadn't pegged Jackson to be the type who would really want to go on any roller coasters besides the smaller ones. Jackson screamed at practically any minor shock, so when he pointed the biggest roller coaster in the park to Mark, Mark was surprised to say the least.

“The one next to the big red one?” Mark attempts to clarify, pointing to the a different roller coaster than the one Jackson had pointed out before.

“No, Mark-ssi,” Jackson reaches out to correct Mark's error, the idol's warm hands enveloping Mark's smaller ones. Jackson guided Mark's index finger to the roller coaster he had initially pointed out before letting go. “The really big roller coaster! I wanna go on that one, I can totally handle it! Please come on with me, Mark hyung! Please,” And Jackson was quite honestly jutting his lips out in the cutest possible way, lowering his shades for a few brief seconds to showcase his puppy dog eyes that paired up with his pouting. “Come on, come on, Mark-ssi, please, please —”

“Ah! Okay, fine.” Mark agrees, despite the fact that he really didn't want to go on the ride. But, Jackson's aegyo type display was making Mark practically melt on the inside, he couldn't say no, really.

Jackson jumps in excitement, and within seconds, Mark is getting dragged in the direction of the roller coaster. Jackson was holding onto Mark's hand as he pulled Mark along, and Mark knew it meant nothing, Jackson was just guiding him towards the ride, but still. Jackson's hand was warm but rough from the years of being an athlete, and from falling during dance practice constantly with only his hands to break his fall. “You okay, Mark hyung, am I going too fast?” Jackson asks, as the two approach the line for the roller coaster.

Yes. “No, I'm okay, Jackson-ah!” Mark replies quietly, as the two stop at the end of the line. Jackson dropped Mark's hand in that instant, and solemnly, Mark looked down at his own hand. Now Mark hands were cold, so he stuffed them into his jean pocket.

“Sorry for running like that, Mark hyung.” Jackson apologizes while him and Mark moving up with the line. “Or, maybe I shouldn't apologize. Do you like when I hold your hand? In a strictly friendly way of course, since you seem to,” Jackson laughs in the middle of sir among, and the sentence was really not funny, but the idol seems to laugh. “Reject my advances. So, you and I can be bros. Brother, my brother.” Jackson enthusiastically offers his hand for a high five, which Mark hesitantly takes.

“Jackson, I —” Mark begins, but is interrupted by a sudden commotion at the top of the line.

A group that had been further ahead in line suddenly exited the queue then, which lead several spaces open. The ride conductor motioned for Jackson and Mark to move forward, and lucky for the two, there were seats open. In the very, very front. Mark sighed, and as did Jackson, as the two boys slid into the seat, then were proceeded to be fastened in. Now, Mark liked roller coasters, he really, really did. He went to amusement parks when he was younger with his family in California, but he doesn't think he's ever been on anything as high as this one. Was he nervous? Maybe nervous wasn't the exact right word, but it was close enough.

While Jackson, on his immediate left, was swinging his legs back and forth, a childish grin on his face as he stared at the view of the park from the top of roller coaster. It wasn't totally quiet if Jackson and Mark didn't talk, as the chatter from the other ride passengers highly compensated for the lack of conversation between Mark and the idol beside him. The coaster suddenly lurched to a start, slowly going up and up the track. Mark's legs dangled, and he was starting to feel lightheaded as all that was in his sight of vision was the bright blue sky about him. “Oh my God.” Mark whispers under his breath, biting down on his lip. He really, really hadn't been on a roller coaster in a while. It went teasingly slow, as most coasters do, filling the rider with nerves until it hits the top and thoughts are disregarded as the car is speeding up, down, left, and right. Mark's eyes were closed, until he felt his fingers being intertwined, and a light pressure being applied onto his hand. Mark's eyes opened, to find Jackson gripping his hand with what seemed like a death grip, with the most scared look on his face.

“I absolutely, a hundred percent regret wanting to ride this, I really can't handle this,” And Jackson is so loud, with such a worried tone in his voice as the coaster approaches the top. “Mark hyung why did you let me — _OH MY GOD MARK HYUNG_!” The roller coaster stopped at the tip top for about a few seconds before flinging the coaster down, Mark and Jackson's cart feeling the impact as it sped down the track, only to be turned upside down onto a loop. Jackson was squeezing Mark's hand so hard it was practically white, and screaming curses in his native Cantonese. Mark simply closes his eyes for half the roller coaster, the nerves going around as the two soar up and down the track. Mark opens his eyes to look over at Jackson, whose expression was picture worthy, his mouth wide open with his eyes closed tightly, as he continues to scream. Mark actually starts to laugh at how funny Jackson laughs, covering his laugh with his free hand. Jackson glanced over to find out that it was Mark laughing, proceeding to interrogate in shrill screams of Mandarin _why Mark was laughing_.

The roller coaster is over quicker than Mark had imagined, and within a minute, they're back at their starting point, being unloaded onto the exit dock. Mark has go actually hold onto Jackson's arm, because the idol looks absolutely dizzy, and rubbing as his temples furiously as Mark laughs. “Let's go get our coaster picture!” Mark suggests, but more demands, leading Jackson towards the picture station. Mark tells the girl what car the two were in, and soon they're being handed a picture of Jackson and Mark.

“I look so bad,” Jackson whines as they walk away. “We're burning that.”

“No we're not! I'm hanging it up in a frame.” Mark is grinning so wide, looking down at the picture with a sort of fondness. It was Mark laughing maniacally at Jackson's continuous roller coaster ride screams.

“I thought I was gonna die, and you were laughing at me,” Jackson stomps his foot, squeezing Mark's arm that he was still holding on to, even if his balance was back to normal. “What kind of friend are you, Mark hyung?”

“It was funny just,” Mark points to Jackson's face, bursting out into absolute laugher once again. “I'm sorry it's just — it's so funny I — I'm sorry!”

Jackson looked absolutely unamused by this all, an almost sour look on his face as Mark laughs at his expense. “Ha, ha, funny.” Jackson rolls his eyes, and Mark stops laughing because of Jackson's sarcastic tone.

“To make up for it, how about.. I buy you churros? And we go on some smaller rides?” Mark offers, knowing Jackson'll take him up on his offer.

As Mark presumed, Jackson's face lights up. “Churros? Yes, yes, Mark-ssi, buy me churros please! But, no more rides, please. I'll pay you for our park tickets, but I can't go on anymore.”

“So.. Lunch then? You can choose where we go, if you want?” Mark says, as the two walk towards the churro station. Mark can see Jackson clap in happiness as the two pause their conversation briefly for Mark to order the snacks. The smell of dough and sweet sugar and cinnamon fill the air around them as their snacks were heated up. They were given to Mark in two bags, with a side of chocolate dipping sauce if wanted. Mark pays, while Jackson takes the snacks from Mark's hands.

“Churros, churros, churros.“ Jackson chants in an almost sing song voice, swaying back and forth beside Mark. The older fights the urge to laugh at the younger idol, only smiling as the two walk away from the churro cart after paying, moving to sit at a bench.

The two were sitting on a bench festively decorated with streamers, celebrating the park's 20th anniversary. It was quiet as Jackson and Mark took in the sights of the park, from the different colored roller coasters, to the brightly colored balloons the kids held in their hands, to even the sights of yummy treats being given out by the Jackson's. By the smile Mark saw on jackson's face in the corner of his eye, he could tell being able to relax and be around others without being flocked was enjoyable to the idol. Soon enough, the two were just about close to finishing their snacks, when Jackson spoke.

“Mark-ssi?”

Mark takes one last bite of the churro, before turning over to look at Jackson, who had called him. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.” Jackson thanks, leaning over to place his hand on Mark's thigh, squeezing. “Really. Thank you for today.”

Mark's attention flickers from Jackson's hand on his thigh to Jackson's eyes. It was certainly the slightest bit distracting, but he wouldn't vocalize that out loud. “I didn't do anything, Jackson, really. I just think you should get to relax more.”

“Exactly. Nobody's ever stood up for me to get the time to relax like that. So, even if you think you didn't,” Jackson takes a bite of the churro, before crumbling the wrapper under his hand into a ball. “The effort's still there.” The idol stands up, nodding his head in the direction from where the two had came initially. “I know a place we can get some really good food, if you're up for it?”

Slowly, Mark nods, a smile spreading across his face. “Yeah,” He replies, following Jackson towards the exit of the park. “Sounds good.”

* * *

After leaving the park minutes later, Jackson gives Mark extremely vague instructions on how to get to his favorite restaurant if he took the highway. Mark took the safe route, proceeding to look up instructions on how to get there from google Maps on his phone. Mark rolled his eyes playfully as the directions loaded. “Jackson, telling me to go straight then make a left aren't very good instructions.”

“What am I,” Jackson scoffs. “A _GPS_?”

Mark glared over at Jackson in the corner of his eye, but the idol only grins. While Mark drives, Jackson proceeds to talk to Mark about some idol drama he didn't quite understand, again, because of Jackson's utterly vague explanations. “So, basically, he left the band, right? And now they're all thinking of disbanding, or something.” Jackson says, missing his hair in the mirror after trading the cap to showcase his fluffy, newly washed black hair.

“Wow.” Mark nods, pretending to be fascinated by what Jackson was saying. It was interesting and cool to know what was happening in the company, but really, Youngjae had always really been more interested in the idol scene. Youngjae! “Hey, Jackson! Could I ask for a favor?”

“Yes.” Jackson answers, and Mark is about to speak, until Jackson starts again. “Wait, no. I will do favors to a certain degree, please don't ask me to buy you an island or a car or something. You're cute and it'd be hard to say no, but I'm saving up to buy my mom another house —”

“— Why would I ask you to buy me an island?” Mark questioned, confused.

“Well, my old friends have always given me really random requests with favors. One asked me to buy them this expensive watch, and I was like, oh hey, I could but you haven't spoken to me in 5 years, how'd you get my number?” Jackson explains. “So. In moderation, I will grant you a favor.”

“I mean.. I was just wondering if I could get one ticket to your concert.” Mark asks, quietly, still feeling a bit embarrassed.

Laughs pass Jackson's lips. “Oh! Mark, you don't need a ticket, silly. You'll be backstage with Jinyoung the whole time. You guys can watch from an overhead monitor, it'll be cool.”

“It's not for me. It's for my best friend, Youngjae. Choi Youngjae. He's a big fan of yours, maybe an even bigger fan of Jaebum's, but he couldn't get a ticket to the show because of financial issues,” Mark explains, suddenly missing his best friend. He'd call Youngjae later, he told himself, just to hear his best friend's voice. ”We share an apartment and used to work together, but he's been pretty lonely now that I'm not there much. I feel bad, and I was wondering if getting him a ticket was a possibility.”

“Anything for a close friend of cute assistant Mark Tuan from Taiwan. Ask Jinyoung when we get back, I'll make sure your friend gets a good seat.” Jackson pauses, considering. “Choi Youngjae.. You know, that name sounds really, really familiar. Was Youngjae ever a trainee?”

Youngjae? His best friend Youngjae, a trainee? Mark is about to tell Jackson no, Youngjae never could've been a trainee, until he remembers Youngjae's voice. Youngjae had one of the most beautiful voices Mark had ever known, and the boy adored music, and played the piano along with his already monstrously talented vocals. “He's never mentioned it.”

“Hmm. I'll ask Jinyoung and Jaebum later.” Jackson ends that conversation.

“Was Jinyoung-ee ever a trainee?” Mark asks, because he had always really wondered. Sometimes, he'd hear Jinyoung singing while filing, and his voice was melodic, it was nice to the ears. He always meant to ask, but it always slipped his mind.

“Are you kidding? Of course! Oh, Jinyoung-ee has such a beautiful voice. You know, him and Jaebum were trainees together? That's how they know each other so well, they were dorm mates and everything.” Jackson informs Mark, and Mark believed it, because Jinyoung and Jaebum knew each other better than any friends he'd ever seen. “They were going to debut together, as a duo.”

“Really?” Mark's definitely curious now. “What happened?”

“Well. Jinyoung says family stuff happened, they didn't want him to be an idol. He fought so hard, he told me, he wanted it so bad. But they were saying it was dishonorable for him to disobey them, and he had to stop training.” Mark felt a pang of sadness for Jinyoung. That's how after every performance, Jaebum asked Jinyoung how he did, and Jinyoung told him. It was because they trained together, knew each other's voices better than they knew their own. Jinyoung could've been a good singer, Mark thinks. “Then Jaebum had to train more because the duo plan was scrapped, but then he eventually debuted as a solo act.”

“Wow. And Jaebum and Jinyoung somehow found their way back to each other, almost.” Mark muses aloud.

“Yeah, isn't that crazy? They lost contact for a year or two, and then Jinyoung got hired as my manager and as it happens, I was best friends with Jaebum. It's like.. Soulmates, or something.”

Mark nods in agreement.

The conversation pretty much ended there, because Mark made a turn into the parking lot of a small restaurant. The restaurant was nestled in the same town as the amusement park, and it was close, as Jackson had said — it really had been as Jackson's directions were, go straight, then make a left. Mark parked, and him and Jackson hopped out, absolutely famished even after having the churros not too long ago.

“They have really good food here. Jaebum and I used to come here during our trainee days when we were hungry.”

“So, it has the Jackson Wang seal of approval?”

Jackson holds the door open for Mark, grinning. “Definitely.”

* * *

The food was good, just as Jackson had promised. The two ordered almost a feast amongst themselves, but there was no point, since Jackson couldn't even eat that much anyway because he had to watch his eating habits before the tour. Mark was pushing slightly for Jackson to eat though, scared that if he didn't eat and overexerted himself, he might feel faint as he had the other day. “You have to eat just a little, okay? Stay healthy, Jackson.”

“You sound like one of my Instagram posts.”

“I've been hanging around you too much. Now, eat, please?”

Ultimately, Jackson had listened to Mark, and placed a few spoonfuls of food onto his plate, humming in enjoyment. An hour or so later, Mark and Jackson were on their way back to the dorms. Jackson continued to thank Mark for the day, how he had so much fun, and wants Mark to take him out on another “date” again. Mark continued to say it was fine, that he didn't mind, and he would definitely take Jackson out again willingly.

Mark arrives at the dorms sooner than he realized, and suddenly he's parking in front, while Jackson collects the bag he'd bought with him from the back seat. Mark gets out of the car, leaning against his car, watching as Jackson slings his bag across his shoulder. “This was fun, Jackson-ah. Thank you for letting me take you out.“

“Don't say goodbye just yet, walk me to my dorm room?” Jackson asks almost shyly, and Mark nods slowly, offering a smile to the idol as they walk side by side into the dorms. To get to Jackson's dorm, they had to walk by Jaebum's. When they passed, they heard fits of laughter and playful screaming being heard from inside the dorm room. Jackson turns to Mark. “You wanna make a bet?”

Mark raises his eyebrows. “I might.. Tell me what kind of bet we're making?”

“If it's Jinyoung in there with Jaebum, I get something, and if it's not Jinyoung in there, you get something. Deal?”

Only partially listening to Jackson's offer, Mark nods his head. “Sure, sure.”

Mark watched as Jackson opens the door of Jaebum's dorm, neither boy really surprised to see the sight inside. Jaebum and Jinyoung were sitting cross crossed on the floor, a large take out box placed in between the two, each picking a bit with a fork. There were laughs and smiles and so, so much skin ship. Jinyoung's eyes drift towards the open door, placing the cup in his hand down as he waves. “Oh, hello! How was it?” Jaebum silently nods in greeting, sending a peace sign over to Mark and Jackson.

“I thought you said you were busy today?“ Jackson asks suspiciously, placing his bag down as he leans against the dorm frame.

There's a twinkle in Jinyoung's eyes as he grins over at Mark and Jackson. “Maybe I just wanted Mark to take you out.”

Mark gapes. He couldn't believe he'd been set up by Park Jinyoung —

“I was partially busy though, I didn't lie.” Oh. “I had a meeting that ended around the same time Jaebum was done with some work today, so we got some food and came back.”

“Ah. Okay. Well, Mark was just walking me back to my dorm, we just came in to say hi.”

Jinyoung nods, placing a strip of meat into his mouth. “Oh, okay! I'll go see you before I leave, let me just finish eating,” Jinyoung says to Jackson, before directing his gaze towards Mark. “I'll see you tomorrow, hyung? Rest up, we have a busy week next week. We have a flight almost directly after the Seoul concert.”

Mark nods. “I will, no worries, thank you Jinyoung-ee.” Jinyoung smiles at Mark. “I'll see you tomorrow as well, Jaebum-ah.” Mark and Jackson back away, slowly closing the door, while the laughing inside Jaebum's dorm started up again.

“I wooooon the bet!” Jackson giggles in a sing song type of voice. “I knew Jinyoung would be in there.”

“There's no point of that bet though,” Mark frowns. ”Obviously it was gonna be Jinyoung-ee in there!”

“Then you shouldn't have agreed! I still won, so I get something, right?”

They arrive to the door of Jackson's dorm. “Well, I guess. What do you want, Jackson-ah?”

Jackson doesn't say anything, only opening the door, and stepping a foot into his dorm. Mark wasn't invited in, so he stands outside awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. Jackson looks over his shoulder, eyebrows raised as he looks at Mark. “You gonna come in, or..?”

“Oh! Oh, okay.” Mark thinks of that as his cue to come in, so steps into the dorm as well. He shuts the door behind him, turning towards Jackson. “So, Jackson-ah —”

Suddenly, Jackson is only inches away from Mark, and the older boy could barely breathe. Mark was close enough to Jackson to see practically every detail of his face. It was surreal to see Jackson at this angle, he was truly beautiful, Mark couldn't help but think. “J-Jackson?” Mark's back was against the wall and one of Jackson's hands rested by Mark's head, holding the boy into place.

“Is this okay?” Jackson whispers, his eyes flickering distractedly from Mark's lips to his eyes. Jackson makes an effort to try to focus on Mark's eyes, to see if there was any reaction, but Mark was only blank minded at the moment.

“I-I guess s-so.” Mark replies.

“Hey, Mark-ssi, do you kiss on the first date?” Jackson asks with the absolute widest grin on his face, a mischievous glint in his bright brown eyes. Soon, Mark is distracted as the pads of Jackson's fingertips trace the sides of Mark's jawline carefully, softly. Mark sighs because it was relaxing, and Jackson practically preens at the reaction.

“I think,” Mark replies softly, after a few seconds. “It depends on the person I'm with.”

“And, if it was me?”

Mark somehow gathers up the courage to reply boldly. “Hmm.. I would consider it.“

“Consider this: what would you do if I kissed you, right now?” Jackson's voice was absolutely low at this point, practically rasping, and it sent chills down Mark's spine.

Mark shouldn't be giving in to Jackson like this, especially since his feelings were a mess. He didn't want to hurt Jackson, that was last thing he'd want to do. But, with Jackson this close, touching his face softly, and talking in such a low rasp, Mark couldn't find even a bit of self control to push him away. “I would,” Mark swallows. ”Kiss you back.”

Jackson's fingertips went from Mark's jawline, to softly skimming the older boy's lips. Mark felt like melting at the touch, and he was mad, mad that he knew Jackson for two, maybe three months at most and he was making Mark feeling like this. While Jackson leans in, Mark feels Jackson fingers skimming down his face, stopping against his pulse. “Your heart's beating fast,” Jackson whispers against the side of Mark's lips. “You might wanna get that checked out.”

And Jackson is so close now, and they're making eye contact as Jackson leans in, their lips only inches away. Mark feels impatient, and is about to pull Jackson closer until —

Three sharp knocks are given the door, right by Mark's head. In shock, Mark falls forward, his head making contact with Jackson's forehead. Banging their heads together was not the type of contact either had been anticipating, Mark thinks bitterly. Jackson seems absolutely furious though, glaring at the door murderously. A string of curses in Cantonese tumble from Jackson's lips — Mark admits, it _was_ attractive — as he throws open the door. “What is it?”

It's Jinyoung, with Jaebum behind him. Jinyoung's holding out Jackson's duffel bag, giving the boy a smile as he pushes back the owner of the dorm to come inside. Jackson groans loudly, watching as Jinyoung and Jaebum both sit on the couch. “You left your bag at Jaebum's dorm.”

“I wish you two had left yourselves at Jaebum's dorm.” Jackson grumbles with bitterness laced in his tone, as he shuts the door to scuffle over to the couch.

“Bad time?” Jaebum asks generally, but making complete eye contact with Jackson.

Jackson eyes go wide in a way that told Jaebum he was annoyed — the two had been best friends long enough to know when one was irritated, mad, or upset. “Extremely."

Mark suddenly feels uncomfortable. “I'm gonna go. I have to go home.”

Jackson's eyes go wide in sadness, unlike the gaze he had given Jaebum seconds ago. His lips part partially, and he reaches out to grab Mark's arm lightly. “Stay?”

Mark's eyes look down at Jackson's arm that was keeping him in place, but softly shakes it off. “I'll see you guys tomorrow.”

Mark rushes out of the dorm hall then, looking back not even once. He runs to the car, and when he makes it, he gets in almost immediately, locking the door. He turns it on, driving it a few minutes away from the dorms, before pulling onto the curb of a deserted street. Engine running, Mark leans his head against the steering wheel, sighing heavily. “Oh man. Oh man.” He whispers. “What kind of a mess have I gotten myself into.”

His phone vibrates, and Mark fishes it out from his jacket to see what the notification was. While taking the phone out, it vibrates for a second time. It's two texts from, who else, Jackson Wang.

**FROM Jackson: I don't want things to be awkward. Let's forget about what just happened, for now.**

**FROM Jackson: Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you're not upset with me.**

If only Jackson knew, Mark couldn't be mad with Jackson. He couldn't.


	11. First Concert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Thank you. But.. Can I ask you something?”
> 
> “Of course, sunshine.”
> 
> “Is this job permanent? Because.. I know you're only going to be here for a few more months and..” Youngjae trails off, rubbing his thumb over Mark's hand.
> 
> Mark hadn't thought of that, and he certainly hadn't told Jackson his stay here in Korea wasn't permanent. ”I.. I hadn't thought about that, honestly,” Mark admits sheepishly. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna apologize for this taking such a long time. This chapter was just so hard for me to write, I just couldn't finish it no natter how hard I tried. After this, I'm planning for 5, maybe 6 more chapters before this is done! Big plot twists and new characters come in after this update so. Be ready. Comments and kudos are always appreciated, comments make me the happiest ever, just saying! Happy reading and happy Yugyeom day!!

When the day of the first concert in Seoul, Mark definitely isn't ready. This is the day everyone, especially Jackson, had been preparing for for months. Nobody could believe it was finally here, and there would be an unbelievable amount of scrambling around today. Mark knew that from this morning on, he'd be the most busy he'd ever been in his entire life.

What he didn't expect though, was the call from Jinyoung so early in the morning — around 6 am — telling him to sleep in. He didn't have to come to work until later. Mark was confused, asking why he had to report so late on one of the biggest days of his career concerning Jackson so far. Jinyoung told him that Jackson had wanted all his immediate staff — basically, Jinyoung and Mark — to rest for an extra hour today, and they'd meet around 12 or so to start preparing. Mark didn't fight any more after that, instead thanking Jinyoung for relaying the message to him and hanging up, eager to get his extra rest.

It was 9 am when Mark was awoken again, by something similar to the ringing of a cell phone — Youngjae's screaming voice. “Mark Tuan! You are two hours late for work!” Youngjae is hollering in his ear, the younger boy straddling the older's back. “You are late! Jackson must be waiting for you! Mark-ssi wake up!”

“Ah! Sunshine, get off me.” Mark groans, waving at the younger boy's face.

Youngjae obeys, hopping off Mark's back and proceeding to sit patiently on the edge of the bed. Mark sits up then, leaning his head against the headboard. “You're so loud, sunshine.”

Youngjae sighs. “You're gonna be late for work, though,” His lips go from a pout to a frown, hanging his head. “I didn't mean to annoy you, or anything, hyung. I'm sorry.”

Mark shakes his head, reaching out to rub Youngjae's arm. “Don't be sorry, it's okay. But, I'm not late today, Jackson-ah wanted all his immediate staff to rest before the big concert, so I go in a bit later today.”

Youngjae's lips form an 'o' shape, and he nods in understanding. Soon though, he's smiling and tugging on Mark's shoulder. “Are you excited for the concert tonight, Mark-ssi?”

“Are you excited?” Mark's reply blatantly confused Youngjae, obvious by the confused look on his face.

“Why would I be excited?” Youngjae asks. “I'm not going to the concert, you are.”

Mark leans over then, pulling open the top drawer of the nightstand next to his bed. From there, he retrieves an envelope, with Youngjae's name written in sloppy, but legible handwriting. Mark hands it to Youngjae, who takes it with hesitance. “What's this?”

“Open it.” Mark nudges, and watches as Youngjae practically rips open the envelope. Mark thinks the expression on his best friend's face is priceless as he sees the contents sealed inside.

“Mark hyung! You didn't — no! Oh my — you didn't!” Youngjae seems as if he was practically on the verge on tears as he stares at the paper in his hands. Jackson and Jaebum had both signed a note for Youngjae, inviting the younger to Jackson's first concert in Seoul. Then under the note were the folded VIP tickets and handwritten backstage pass. “Mark hyung, I.. I cannot believe you did this.”

Youngjae had been wanting to go to an idol's concert for months now, but money was especially tight for him. So, when tickets went on sale, he wasn't able to purchase any. Jackson and Jaebum, especially Jaebum, were two of Youngjae's favorite idol soloists. When Jackson's tickets went on sale, Youngjae wanted to buy them, but he had send money to his parents back home. He'd been sad for weeks over it, but got over it, eventually.

“I know you wanted to go, so I asked Jackson-ah for a favor.” Mark shrugs it off. “I'm not here so you're alone, and it's my fault. We got this apartment so neither us can be lonely. This is the least I can do, really.”

“Mark hyung.. I love you. You're like my brother, you're my family.” Youngjae whispers, grabbing Mark's hand and hold it tightly. “Thank you. But.. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, sunshine.”

“Is this job permanent? Because.. I know you're only going to be here for a few more months and..” Youngjae trails off, rubbing his thumb over Mark's hand.

Mark hadn't thought of that, and he certainly hadn't told Jackson his stay here in Korea wasn't permanent. ”I.. I hadn't thought about that, honestly,” Mark admits sheepishly. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Then again, I was only hired because they needed an assistant on short notice.. This is only temporary for them too, I'm sure. They need someone with experience, right? Not me.”

“Does Jackson-ah know..?” Youngjae asks.

“I didn't tell him. I probably should've, now that I think about it.” Mark considers. It slipped his mind, really, and he hadn't mentioned anything to Jackson about his stay. He should've but Mark figures that when he remembers, he'll tell Jackson.

“Speaking of Jackson..” Youngjae starts. “How do you feel about him?”

Mark sighs at Youngjae's question, leaning back to cover his face with a blanket. “Youngjae, I don't know, really. It's like, I wanna like him, because he seems to really like me but — I just don't know. I don't think I'm right for him. He deserves someone.. I don't know? Better?”

“Mark hyung you can't think like that, because then you'll never allow yourself to like someone. Just because Jackson's an idol and you're not doesn't mean anything, because feelings are feelings.” Youngjae was always good at speaking about things such as this, Mark recalls. The younger boy loves uplifting others and giving advice when people needed it the most. “If he was say, a guy working at the cafe, and you had the feelings you had now, would you ask him out?”

“Of course not,” Mark playfully rolls his eyes. “No in work relations, duh!”

Youngjae hits Mark on the arm, and Mark whines childishly. “Hyung! You know what I mean. What would you do if Jackson wasn't a star?”

“I think I would.. Uh.. Ask him out on a date.” Mark responds unsurely, while Youngjae giggles.

“Yes, hyung! That's great! And you tell me he seems to like you, so go for it, hyung!”

“Maybe.. Maybe after the tour, I'll talk to him about it. There's a lot going on right now, I don't want to make some unnecessary trouble.” Mark says quietly. “Maybe my feelings'll change. Who knows. I guess we'll see.”

Mark's phone rings then, and the older boy turns to glance at the caller ID. It was Jackson, who hadn't directly called him or texted him since their date night. Of course, since then it hadn't been awkward, they'd gone along like business as usual. But there were times Mark and Jackson stole glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, or placed hands on each other's arms and squeezing lightly. The tension between them was undeniable, truly, Mark just wasn't sure. Did he really want this, or was he infatuated with the idea of Jackson Wang liking him? He wanted to figure it out, he really, really did. Mark picks up the phone.

“Mark!”

“Hi, Jackson.”

Mark didn't take into account Jackson's panicked tone until the idol speaks again. “I know I said you didn't have to come in until later but,” Jackson's talking so fast, it's hard to keep up. “I'm so worried about the tour, I'm usually confident about performing but — what if everything turns out wrong? I don't.. Mark.”

“Jackson. Where are you right now? I'm coming over.” And before Jackson even answers, Mark is rushing to his feet, snatching the nearest pairs of clothes. He discarded the mere thought of getting to sleep in more, practically running out the door with his keys in his pocket. He didn't even properly saying goodbye to Youngjae as Mark rushes to the car. “Jackson, I'm on my way. Tell me where you are.“

“I'm at my dorm.” Jackson whispers into the phone's speakers. Mark starts the car, engine roaring to life as he speeds down the empty streets that would lead him to Jackson's dorm. Jackson was preoccupying himself by speaking about things to came mind, Mark only humming in worry as he drove, just wanting to get to his boss as soon as possible. He hadn't realized he was speeding, until he arrived in front of Jackson's dorm. He parked, and practically ran over to the dorm entrance, expecting to going to have to tell Jackson to come out to open the door.

But Jackson was already outside, sitting with his arms clenched his body tightly, Bulls hoodie shielding his head. It was the slightest bit chilly, and Mark found himself shrugging off his own jacket to loan to Jackson as he approaches the man. He sits beside Jackson on the bench, placing the jacket around his shoulder. Jackson's tear stained eyes flickered over to Mark. “You came here so quick.”

Mark nods, panting slightly, the adrenaline of rushing here for Jackson had caused him to be a little tired. “Of course. You needed me. That's what I'm here for, right?” Mark chuckles half heartedly. “Being here for when you need me?“

“Mark, I — I'm so worried. About everything.”

“Why are you suddenly nervous? Did something happen?”

Jackson soundlessly replies by pulling out his phone, the screen illuminated. “The company published a statement on my behalf about the claims about me being a bad boss. And almost all of it was positive, but there's still some negative and — I don't know how to take this hate, Mark, I can't. What if people decide not to go to the tour, and it doesn't do as well as p-projected?” The idol looks as if he's on the verge of tears, and it breaks Mark's heart, really.

Mark wraps his arms around Jackson, pulling him in. “All your stops are practically sold out, Jackson, you have fans everywhere. Please don't think like that.”

Jackson sniffled, adjusting himself to comfortably lean his head against Mark's chest. “It's so difficult, Mark, sometimes I wish I was just normal, not an idol, not anybody,” He whispers, his lips ghosting across the soft skin of Mark's collarbone. “I'm tired, Mark. Do I have time for a nap?”

Mark glanced down at his phone, the screen reading 9:35 am. “Uh.. We were supposed to start preparing at 12, so you have time for a nap, yes.”

Jackson bounced up then, his hands tugging on the sleeves of Mark's hoodie as he drags his assistant in the direction of the dorms. “Well come on, then. I made a pot of green tea, share some with me?”

There was no real point in going home considering he'd have to come back out in a little bit. Mark decided to accept Jackson's offer, smiling as he nods and stands up to follow him inside.

Jackson's dorm is cleaner than usual, Mark notices as he inspects the room. Jackson seems to pick up on Mark's curious glances around the room, and so he offered the boy a shaky smile. “I clean when I get nervous.”

Jackson busies himself by rushing to the kitchen to retrieve two tea cups, along with his tea kettle. Mark watches from the couch as Jackson pours the tea. “Do you like cookies? Do you want some?”

“No, it's okay, Jackson. Just come and rest.” Mark's voice was soft, as were Jackson's eyes as he glanced over at the elder boy. With a nod, Jackson bought over the tea to the couch, sitting beside Mark.

Jackson places his own cup onto the table, laying his head down onto Mark's lap. His wide eyes bore into Mark's. It was quiet, Mark's nimble fingers stroking Jackson's newly redyed blonde hair. The stress that had been evident seemed to disappear slowly as Jackson rested, his eyes closing and his chest rising and falling slowly. Mark caught himself gazing down at Jackson, who looked peaceful while in his sleepy daze.

“You think the tour'll go well?“ Jackson's voice was practically inaudible, but Mark heard him nevertheless. Mark could sense the nerves and pensive tone in Jackson's voice, and he frowned.

His fingers had stop intertwining themselves in Jackson's hair seconds ago but Mark started again as it seemed to calm Jackson down. “Jackson. You're going to do fine. You're gonna do so well, we're all going to be so proud of you. You just wait and see.”

“You, Jinyoung, and Jaebum are like my family. You guys work so hard, I wanna make you proud.” Jackson yawns.

“You will make us proud, you will.”

That calmed Jackson enough for the idol to doze into a light sleep. He stayed in Mark's lap until an hour later, Jinyoung came bursting in with Jaebum understandably by his side. “It's almost tour time!”

Jackson woke up immediately, his head lifting itself from Mark's lap to seek out Jinyoung's voice. “Hi.” Jackson greets as he spots his manager by the door. He rubs his eyes tiredly as he sat up.

Mark arose, fixing his hoodie before offering a smile to Jinyoung and Jaebum in greeting. Jinyoung sat on the couch beside Jackson, retrieving the black book from his bag. “We have tour rehearsal, as you know. We'll run through the full show at least three times. Then two hours before the show, fans are let in. In which point you'll go to get dressed, get into pre show charm. Before we start, you get to have a quick lunch break, so get dressed and we'll be on our way to the arena.”

It was as if Jinyoung hadn't taken a breath as he gave Jackson the breakdown of today's itinerary. Jackson had only nodded in response, standing to get changed. As the bathroom door shut, Jinyoung rushed over to Mark, who had been standing by Jaebum. “Is he okay? And why are you here so early? We were going to go pick you up.”

“Jackson was just nervous about the tour, so he called me and I came over,” Mark explains plainly, because the whole situation had been rather simple. “He'll be okay. Just jitters, I think.”

Jinyoung glances in the direction of the bathroom, sighing. “It's going to be a long day. I'm hoping he'll pull through okay. He's been stressed about this for a while.”

Jaebum nods. “I was nervous about my first concerts too. It's scary, having so many people depend on you to do well. The thought that even the slightest mistake could name the shone industry lose faith in your talent is daunting. It doesn't help that Jackson's whole career was based on a risk taken by the company, even if he's doing well, some are betting on him to fail.” Jaebum rubs the back of his neck. “Jackson's talented though. He's stubborn but he has a good heart. I think he'll be just fine.”

Mark nods, glancing towards the bathroom where Jackson was changing. “I hope he'll be fine too.” And Mark hadn't even realized until that moment how much he cared about Jackson's well being, about Jackson's career. And not even because Mark's own career depended on Jackson doing well, because Mark truly, genuinely wanted to see his boss succeed. His heart swelled at the thought of seeing Jackson happy after a concert, or after hearing how critically acclaimed his concert had been reviewed. It made him smile absentmindedly, and his hands tingled a bit at the thought of his boss being so happy.

Jackson came out of the bathroom then, breaking Mark's thoughts. The idol looked awake now, face refreshed and appearing ready to tackle the day ahead. “Okay. Let's go.”

* * *

“Hyung, you didn't have to come pick me up!” Youngjae screamed, as Mark pulled up to the curb for the younger to hop on in.

It was an hour before concert time, and Mark had excused himself to go pick up Youngjae. Jackson had seemed to wanted him to stay, pouting as Mark picked up his coat to leave earlier.

(“You're leaving? B-But Mark, I need you here.” Jackson had said, eyes wide as he watched Mark pick his jacket up and head towards the door.)

Jackson's words had echoed in his mind soon after he'd left. He'd been in the car for minutes before he'd picked up Youngjae, and it got him thinking. Jackson hadn't ever brought up the almost kiss they'd had only days before, and Mark himself was too timid to bring it up. But Mark saw the lingering touches when hugging goodbye and late night texts asking Mark silly questions that Jackson knew the answers to. How stressful, Mark thought.

“Of course I had to! You can get the VIP treatment.” Mark grins.

“I can't believe you did this, Mark hyung! You're the best friend I've ever had, like ever.”

“I'm happy if you're happy, sunshine, remember that,” Mark reminds his best friend, keeping a steady hand on the wheel as he turns into the venue's parking lot. A secluded area to park had been assigned to those working on the concert today, so there wasn't much hassle as he pulled into an empty parking space. “You can drive my car home, right?”

The two stepped out of the car, and as they walked towards the door Mark handed his keys over to Youngjae, who nodded. “Yeah, I'll take good care of it. Don't worry. I'm gonna miss you while you're gone, though.”

Mark frowns, he still felt bad about leaving Youngjae alone as Mark went on tour with Jackson. “I'm gonna miss you too, sunshine. You call and text me to let me know you're okay, okay?”

“Of course, hyung. But uh,” As Mark and Youngjae entered an elevator, the younger seemed confused. “Isn't the venue entrance for the concert the other way?”

Mark just grinned. “I want tonight to make up for the past few weeks. Let me give you another surprise.”

And really, Mark did not expect for Youngjae to break into tears while being face to face with Jackson. Mark was laughing at how star struck his best friend was at his boss. Jackson embraced the younger boy and almost immediately struck up a flowing conversation. While the two boys talked as if they were old friends, Jinyoung moved over to stand next to Mark who had been alone.

“Are you ready? For today and all?”

Mark glances over to Jinyoung, shrugging only slightly. “I guess,” Is what he says first, before continuing. “I'm kind of nervous, though.”

Jinyoung grins, nudging Mark in a teasing manner. “You're not performing, why are you nervous?”

“Because,” Mark shoves Jinyoung lightly, watching the younger manager laugh. “I want this all to go well. Jackson was so nervous, you know? He wants this to go well so bad, and if he wants it, I want it too.“

“Cute, I love couple talk — ow!“ Jinyoung whines the last word after getting hit lightly by Mark. “What was that for?”

“Speaking of couples,” Mark looks around, trying to spot the other performer of the night; a certain Im Jaebum. “Where's your boyfriend Jaebum?”

“We're not dating!” Jinyoung whines. “I have no feelings for Jaebum —”

“That's a lie,” calls Jaebum as he casually enters the room and the conversation. He was dressed simply in a white shirt, leather jacket, and jeans, but Jinyoung seemed to be utterly fascinated by the older boy — and Mark noticed. “Jinyoung-ee when will you realize your undying love for me?”

Jinyoung blushes as Jaebum moves to stand beside him. “Jaebummie.” His voice is low, but there's a faint smile on his lips.

“If you won't take him, be careful, Sunshine here will.” Mark laughs, nodding his head towards Youngjae, who was engaged in conversation with Jackson. “He has the biggest crush on Jaebum. I swear!” Mark turns. “Sunshine, c'mere!”

Both Youngjae and Jackson swivel towards Mark and start to walk towards him. But soon, Jackson is the only one making progress in getting closer as Youngjae stops in his track as he sees Jaebum.

“Youngjae?”

Mark turns, surprised to hear Jaebum calling Youngjae's name. Mark was confused, suddenly. “Jaebum, do you know him?”

“Youngjae! Oh my — I haven't seen you in years, you grew up so much!” Jaebum advances towards Youngjae rather than Youngjae getting closer. The older wraps the younger boy into a hug, but he steps away after a few seconds. “Youngjae was a trainee when I was, I took him under my wing because he was a bit younger. He had one of the best voices I've ever heard, and he learned so quick.” Jaebum turns to Youngjae. “You were going to debut. Why'd you drop out?”

Suddenly, it all hits Mark. All the times Youngjae spoke about his missed dreams, about the chance he had but he wasted it. All the expert music talk Youngjae had filled his mind with, all the beautiful singing in the shower. Also the fondness he had for Jaebum, it all made sense. Youngjae had been a trainee!

“Family problems.” Youngjae mutters. “I was so happy to see you make it so big, hyung. You're like my favorite singer.”

While the two caught up, Mark turned to Jinyoung, who stared at Jaebum bitterly. Jaebum's arm was around Youngjae, and they spoke closely. “You're jealous, Jinyoung-ee! Look at you, you're jealous.” Mark sing songed, poking Jinyoung's cheek.

“I am n-not! Jaebum can talk to whoever he wants.” Jinyoung stammers, not directly looking at Mark, or Jackson who was beside him. He didn't sound very convincing, though.

“Yeah, okay.” Jackson rolled his eyes.

“You know what! Jackson, Jaebum you two go on stage soon. Go get ready.” Jinyoung demands.

And with a playful wink, Jackson leaves the room without any hassle. Jaebum hugs Youngjae and heads to leave the room. Jinyoung watches him leave, but becomes flustered when Jaebum blows him a kiss. Suddenly it was just Mark and Jinyoung. “When will you tell him you like him, Jinyoung-ee?”

“When you tell Jackson you like him.” Jinyoung insists.

“I don't like Jackson, though!”

Jinyoung turns, to wink at Mark. “Then I don't like Jaebum. But, enough of this, let's go get ready for the concert to start.”

* * *

The first concert had been going so well. It was a sold out crowd, with thousands of fans in the stadium. It was an amazing turnout by the media as well, as Jackson's concert was surely being covered by the many photographers and writers that were all over the venue. The fans were reactive, as they were loud and chanted the lyrics of Jackson's songs. And as Jaebum came onto the stage, the stadium practically lit up.

After Jaebum and Jackson sang about two songs, Jackson left but then returned to do his encore stages. The fans were ecstatic, as was Mark, watching his boss sing with a newfound admiration. Quicker than he knew it, the concert was over, and Jinyoung was whisking him back stage. Jackson was with him soon, and goodbyes were being said to Jaebum and Youngjae respectively as they were staying in Korea. Within an hour they were packed in a car with their luggage, on their way to the airport. “Shanghai's our next destination.“

Jackson was happy to go to China, of course. In fact, he was absolutely ecstatic and wouldn't stop speaking about it the whole way to the airport — not that Mark minded, really. “I've been to Shanghai only a few times,” Jackson told Mark. “Jinyoung will we have time to sightsee?”

“I'm afraid not,” Jinyoung says, scribbling something into a notebook. “We head straight for Bangkok after the show tomorrow.” Jackson pouts, but Jinyoung continues. “We'll have time to sight see in Hong Kong though! We have a few days before we go back to Seoul for the finale!”

That alone made Jackson's frown fade, and suddenly he was practically glowing. He grabbed Mark's arm impulsively, squeezing tightly. “You're going to be able to see my favorite place in the entire world!”

Jinyoung stared at the two, only knowingly smiling from his seat across from them. He watched as Jackson excitedly told Mark about Hong Kong, and Mark listened intently, his lips curled into a faint smile. His eyes stared at Jackson fondly as he spoke though, and that told Jinyoung all he needed to know. “Cute.” Jinyoung whispers, turning his attention back to his phone; he'd just gotten a text from Jaebum.

While Jinyoung texted, Jackson held onto Mark's arm, gazing up at the elder boy. “— You can even meet my parents if you want! Or is that too soon? Too soon right, definitely! Well, you'll see them anyway, it's gonna be so cool, this is all exciting!”

“You haven't been there in a while, I guess?” Mark asked.

“Nope. I'm always in Korea, I don't get many chances to go home unless it's for work, or a holiday I get,” Jackson's tone dips, and Mark notices it's a touchy subject. He means to end the conversation there, but Jackson keeps talking. “That's just why I'm so excited. My parents miss me a lot, and I miss them too. I've promised them that when I save up enough I'll buy them a house out here, or plane tickets so they can come to Korea whenever they'd like.”

Mark smiles, running his fingers through Jackson's hair. “That's sweet,” Mark says and Jackson hums, happy to hear the praise coming from Mark. “I think you're parents'll like that a lot. They're lucky to have you, Jackson.”

Jackson smiles gratefully before yawning and placing his head on Mark's lap. “I'm tired, though. Wake me up when we get to Incheon airport.”

* * *

A few hours later, they were in Shanghai. The next concert wasn't for another day, but that meant Jackson, Jinyoung, or Mark wouldn't be getting much rest in preparation for the second concert of the tour. Jackson had slept practically the whole flight and the ride to the hotel, only waking up to get in and out of the car and into the hotel room.

The hotel they were staying in was nice, nicer than most hotels Mark had even looked at in his life. Jackson, Jinyoung, and Mark had all booked a joint room, with one large room connected to a medium sized room with two beds. Jinyoung immediately decided he and Mark would stay in the smaller room, with Jackson in the other. Jackson himself was too tired to actually refuse, so he sleepily trudged into his room without so much as a good night.

Jinyoung laughed as he sat on his own side of the bed, unbuttoning the buttons on his white shirt. He didn't seem tired at all, despite being up earlier than both Jackson and Mark and doing just as much work. “It was a good concert, don't you think, Mark?”

Mark was a little tired himself, so he agreed with Jinyoung as he changed into his pajamas. “I think so. The fans seemed to enjoy it, and Jackson seemed happy with it after, so that's what matters right?”

Jinyoung hummed, sitting criss crossed on the bed, leaning on his elbows as he stared at Mark, who was getting comfortable in his bed. “But just.. Try not to mention Jackson's patents too much, alright? It's a really.. touchy subject for him. He's going to be really sad when he finds out his parents can't make it to tomorrow's show.”

“You haven't told him yet?”

“No,” Jinyoung shakes his head. “They called before the concert to tell me their flight for tonight had been cancelled. They said they wouldn't be able to get another in time for the concert.”

“Oh.” Mark wasn't sure what to say. “When are you going to tell Jackson?”

“I'm not going to tell him. I told his parents to Skype him in the morning to tell him, hearing it from them while seeing their faces will make it easier for Jackson.” Jinyoung explains, as he shrugs off his shirt, and lays under the covers. “Now get to bed, we have another big day tomorrow.“ Jinyoung shuts the light off. “Good night, Mark.”

Mark doesn't go to sleep after that, though. He lays on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was too much on his mind, too many thoughts for him to fall asleep immediately as Jackson or Jinyoung had.

He doesn't remember when he fell asleep, but he assumes he eventually does. He is awakened in the morning by boisterous laughter that was not being produced by roommate Jinyoung, who wasn't even in the room. Confused, and frankly still tired, Mark arises from his slumber, walking towards the door that lead to Jackson's room. He probably should've knocked, but he walks into Jackson lying on his bed, balancing his laptop on his lap. He's wearing glasses on his eyes, an accessory Mark rarely saw on the idol, but a smile across his face.

Jackson's eyes immediately snap to Mark, who was standing in the doorway, unsure or whether to advance in or back out of the room. “Mark!” Jackson practically screams, moving the laptop off his lap to go drag Mark into the room more. “Mom, dad, you can meet Mark now!”

Mark is suddenly unsure of what's happening as he's pushed onto the bed by Jackson, a laptop being thrusted into his lap. Jackson stations him behind Mark, peeking over the older boy's shoulder. A couple who Mark assumes are Jackson's parents greet him in Cantonese. Mark stares at the camera, feeling utterly ridiculous because he doesn't speak an ounce of Cantonese. But, suddenly after some laughter and prodding they're switching to Mandarin, and the words flow into Mark's head.

Mark greets them in Mandarin, apologizing for not speaking Cantonese. He'd only learned Mandarin, as his parents were of Taiwanese descent, but he hadn't learned Cantonese. The three hold a conversation in Mandarin, while Jackson watched, interjecting every now and then. Jackson seemed pretty pleased with the interactions, and it made Mark happy how easy he got on with his boss's parents.

Mark eventually has to hand the laptop back after Jackson makes a playful joke at how his parents seem to like talking to Mark more than Jackson himself. Mark moves over, allowing Jackson to speak with his parents. The conversation switches to their native Cantonese and Mark frowns at not being able to understand much. Mark sits patiently until the Skype call winds to a close, and Jackson shuts the laptop only to turn his attention to Mark. “Hi.” He breathes out.

“Hi Jackson.” He pauses, noticing Jackson was shirtless, only wearing shorts and glasses. Mark's heart skips a beat. “Uh — your parents are nice.”

“Thank you! I don't think you heard, but they liked you a lot. My mother said you're very handsome —”

“— Thank you —”

“— Not that I can disagree.” Jackson adds.

Mark is blushing and he knows it, he knows it by the way he feels his cheeks heat up, and how Jackson's practically grinning at him. “Thank you.” Mark meekly thanks, biting his lip as he bowed his head. _Stop blushing_ , _stop blushing_ , _stop blushing_ —

“Where's Jinyoung?” Mark asks.

“What, don't want to spend time with me anymore, huh?”

Mark can tell he's teasing but the older suddenly gets defensive. “No, no it's not that it's just! —”

“— Mark,” Jackson leans in, placing a companionable hand on Mark's thigh, squeezing. Mark practically wriggles in Jackson's grasp. “I'm joking.” Jackson pauses. “He went to go schedule breakfast for us. You woke up at good timing, I was going to wake you up anyway, we need to go meet Jinyoung-ee downstairs.”

Jackson gets up then, and Mark's breath hitches at seeing Jackson's bare back as the boy picks up his bag before heading to the bathroom. “I'm gonna take a shower. Wait for me and we'll walk down together, okay Mark?”

Mark calls out a response before he gets up, rushing to his own room. He sighs, laying down on the bed. Why did Jackson have such an effect on him right then and there? Why did his heart skip a beat at anything Jackson did? Why was he so pleased that Jackson's parents liked him? Mark outwardly groaned.

He took out his phone, typing a text to Jinyoung.

**TO Jinyoung:**

**Maybe I like Jackson. But just a little.**


	12. Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backstage was usually buzzing with life before a concert. The concert employees swirling around setting up for the event ready to come. Jackson usually relaxed beforehand, getting into his element before going out. That's just how things went, at least since Mark had been around the past few months. 
> 
> That night, the equilibrium was thrown off balance entirely. The whole room practically stopped as the door flew open, and in walked two guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH LONG TIME NO UPDATE! I miss updating weekly, I loved having the time to write this for everyone :( Anyway, we're nearing 10k hits! I can't believe, thank you for 9k! I really am excited to write the last few chapters, and I hope x38489 that you're excited too :D Some important pieces come to play in this chapter, hopefully you guys enjoy my additions. So, without me rambling, let's get to the chapter. Happy reading :)

Immediately following the text being sent, Mark's phone buzzed as he received a phone call. Surprised, Mark immediately accepted the call and placed the phone by his ear. A meager hello slipped past his lips, and in response he was given a screaming Jinyoung. “What is this text? What is — oh my, Mark!”

Was this a bad reaction, or a good one? Mark bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh.. I just — I wasn't sure who else to tell and I felt like you were the right person to tell.”

Jinyoung preened at the statement, laughing into the phone's microphone triumphantly. “I knew it! I knew you liked him, what made you realize it?”

“I'm still not a hundred percent sure. It's just he kept touching me and I felt my face getting hot and —”

” — Well that must just be arousal —” Jinyoung protested.

“— No! No. I mean I'm obviously attracted to him but that's not it. It's like, whenever he's smiling, I feel all tingly inside, and I was just so happy that his parents liked me and —” Mark sighed, cutting his sentence short. “I've never felt this way I don't know what these feelings are.“

“You've never been in a relationship before, Mark hyung?” Jinyoung prods lightly, as if he wasn't sure if this was an okay topic for Mark or not. Luckily, it wasn't, and even if it was, Mark was comfortable enough with Jinyoung to share his feelings. After spending pretty much every hour of every day with someone for a few months, you grow to be friends.

“I mean, I've been in relationships before, but for some reason this is different. And now Jackson comes along and he's touchy and open and makes it known to me that he likes me and it makes my whole insides swirl,” Mark groans loudly. “I've been wondering for a while if my feelings for him were just entirely platonic or if I was getting a crush. I'm really thinking it's more than just friends.”

“Are you going to tell him?” Jinyoung asks.

“Is this a good time?” Jackson, who's in the other room, is still in the shower so Mark figures it's okay to put his phone on speaker while he dresses. “Like with the tour and all?” Out of everything, Mark was worried about Jackson and Jackson's feelings the most. He didn't want to tell Jackson he felt something for him, then ended up not feeling the way he had initially thought. Mark didn't care if he got hurt in the process, no, he only wanted Jackson to be okay, to stay the optimistic, amazing person he was. He wouldn't dare hurt Jackson on purpose, so he had to take precautions with the situation.  
Jinyoung hums pensively. “You're right,” He muses. “Maybe wait until after the tour. Sort out your feelings. If you feel the same way in a few weeks, tell him. Just think, if you tell Jackson you like him and you end up not liking him that much, he'll be crushed.” Exactly what Mark was saying.

And Mark frowns because the last thing he'd want to do was upset Jackson. He would never hurt him on purpose, so telling him his feelings now was debatable. Mark's ears picked up on the water being shut off in the bathroom and that was the cue to end the call. “He's getting out of the bathroom, I have to go. Bye!” The words flew out of Mark's mouth in panic, the older boy throwing his phone onto the bed to focus on getting changed.  
It wasn't until a few minutes later that Jackson came into the room, freshly dressed with a signature smile spread across his lips.

“Were you on the phone? I thought I heard you talking?” Jackson asked casually, zippering up his jacket.

Mark averts his gaze from Jackson to turn to grab his own jacket that had been slung carelessly over the back of a nearby chair. “Oh, yeah, I was,” Mark laughs almost nervously, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I was talking to Jinyoung! He was telling us to hurry up, because he was hungry, or something like that. So, we should go, you have practice in a little bit for the concert later.”

“Ah,” Jackson stares at Mark, maybe for a little longer than he was supposed to. The younger boy was still, simply gazing at the older with a dazed smile. The kind of look made Mark's insides heat up as did his cheeks, feeling like Jackson admiring him was something he didn't quite deserve. “You're right. Let's go to breakfast.”

* * *

“So, have you talked to your parents? Are they going to come down for the concert?”

Mark took genuine surprise at how casually Jinyoung prodded at the subject. Jackson hadn't brought up the situation with his parents to Mark, so the older's eyes were focused on solely Jackson after the words passed Jinyoung's lips.

Jackson glanced up from his food, a smile that was fueled by what seemed like nerves spread across his face. “About that,” Jackson began, taking a bite of an already portioned off section of meat. “Their plane was delayed, so they wouldn't be arriving until after the concert.”

Jinyoung already knew this information, yet his lips tucked into a perfect frown, eyes averting from Jackson's. “Ah. I'm sorry, Jackson,” Jinyoung was such a good actor, it was unbelievable to Mark. “Well, they'll definitely be at the concert in Hong Kong. At least there's that, right?”

“Of course! I'm still excited that I'll get to see them,” Jackson smiled at Jinyoung, before looking over at Mark. “Jinyoung-ee, Mark talked to my parents today! They really liked him, they thought he was so handsome.”

Jinyoung's eyebrows raised then, his frown pulling into a slight grin. He leaned in then, placing his chin onto the palm of his hand. “Really?” He glanced towards Mark. “Well, Mark hyung is handsome, I'm not surprised.”

Mark's lips parted to thank Jinyoung, until suddenly Jackson's arm was being curled around Mark's shoulder. Jackson pulled the older boy in, their faces squishing against each other. “Jinyoung-ee, you can't say stuff like that! I might get jealous, you know?” Jackson laughed, and Mark wasn't quite sure if he was joking or not.

Mark was blushing furiously and he was absolutely aware of it. Jackson continued holding him, and Mark attempted to wriggle out. But Jackson's lips dropped near Mark's ear. “I'm only partly joking, just so you know.” He released Mark from his grip then, leaning back into his own seat.

Mark wiggles his shoulders a bit, trying to ignore how much his heart was being swayed by Jackson's small actions. Breathe, Mark whispered internally, breathe. Jinyoung was staring quite intently at him, Mark noticed as he finally looked up from his palms. Jinyoung was grinning knowingly at the older boy, he was observant and took notice to how red Mark's blush had been moments prior.

Mark turns away from Jinyoung, not able to withstand the manager's glance. Rather, he turns to the person who caused his heart to set ablaze. “So Jackson, are you excited for the —” Mark notices that Jackson isn't quite paying attention to him, rather his focus was on the overhead TV. Mark whirls around to look at the TV as well, curious to see what was capturing Jackson's attention.

It seemed as if the TV was programmed to a channel airing a celebrity gossip show. In big and bold letters read a caption that Mark scanned quickly. “Thai idol Kunpimook Bhuwakul, famously known as Bambam makes statement about Chinese born Korean pop idol Jackson Wang.” Mark mumbles.

The screen cuts to a picture of Jackson, and the idol beside Mark chuckles at seeing himself on the screen. “Bambam talks to Star1 regarding his fellow entertainer,” The screen then cuts to a video of Bambam in an airport, fans following and swarming him with phones. “Jackson? Oh, he's just my style,” The Thai idol had said. “I met him performing at Inkigayo promoting my song in Korea! He's so nice!” The footage shows Bambam continuing to walk, his hand steady on the handle of his suitcase as he rolls it through the airport. A fan asks if he would be attending Jackson's concert in Bangkok, and the idol laughs, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly at the camera. “Maybe! I'd love to go watch him!” He turns to the camera. “Jackson, fighting! Hope to see you soon, tell me if you need a guide around Bangkok!”

The segment ends there, the show switching to a slightly different topic regarding the hosts of one of those music shows — Inkigayo, or maybe Music Bank? Mark didn't pay much attention, distracted by Jackson's giggling. The idol looked absolutely elated. “Bambam said I was just his style! He's so cute!”

Jinyoung audibly gasps from across the table, and while Jackson didn't notice it, Mark did. Jackson continues to burst, though. “He said he could guide me around Bangkok! I think I would really like that!”

Mark's heart felt slightly pierced by the words. It wasn't unusual for Jackson to be so excited given his personality, but what hurt Mark was that he seemed so excited about Bambam's comments. Was this.. a pang of jealousy, maybe? “As if you need a g-guide,” Mark's comment is made with a scoff. “I can guide you around Bangkok.”

Jackson perks up, leaning into his chair. “Really?” He asks. “You've been around Bangkok before?”

Mark is flustered now. “W-Well, no, but I could look up places to go! I'm your assistant, I could uh, do stuff like that.”

Jackson slides back into his chair, seemingly disappointed by the boy's words. “Mark, wouldn't it be better if an actual Thai native guides me? Not that I don't trust you, it's just,” Jackson uses his hands to explain. “Bambam is from Thailand, and you're not.. So..”

Jinyoung snickered, and Mark sent him a death glare. “Well, Bambam's probably busy or something, he was probably just saying that for the camera.” Mark mumbled, reaching for his glass of water.

“I met him at Inkigayo once! The last time I won for Replay, he was there! He's so cool,” Jackson gushes. “He's so my style too, I should tell him that. I think I will.” Jackson takes one final bite of his food before riding, sliding his chair in. “Tell them to put this all on my tab. I'm going to go get my rehearsal bag, I forgot it upstairs! Be right back.”

Jackson disappears into the hall, leaving Mark alone with Jinyoung, who was seemingly trying to hold in his fit of laughter. Mark turns to Jinyoung, groaning. “He really likes Bambam, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung nods. “You know, Jackson's really friendly. Bambam is too, they've met before and they really hit it off every time. But, they're both really busy so..”

“How can I compete with Bambam?” Mark pouts, looking down at himself almost pitifully. “Bambam's super cool, has a good career, and he's popular and I'm,” He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I'm Mark Tuan from LA, just Mark Tuan.”

“Mark, are you forgetting that Jackson's been crushing on you for awhile now? You think his feelings'll go away just because one other guy says he's cool? Do you really think he'd abandon you just like that?”

“Wouldn't you though? If a big star like Bambam showed interest in you?”

“No,” Jinyoung reaches over to grip Mark's hand firmly, squeezing. “I like Mark Tuan from LA just fine.”

Mark feels soothed by Jinyoung's words. “Thank you, Jinyoung-ee.”

Jinyoung smiles. “This what I'm here for. To dispense wisdom onto you guys when you need it.” Jinyoung runs a hand through his hair dramatically, winking. “You guys need me.”

“First, that was an awfully Jackson thing to do and say, and second,” Mark chuckles, playfully poking the manager. “Stop flirting with me or I'll tell Jae.”

“Jaeeebum.” Jinyoung sing songs. “Don't bring him into this. We're talking about you and Jackson.” Jinyoung then turns to stand up, but almost tripped. “Jackson's rehearsal bag is right here! Mark, while I put this at the tab, go get Jackson.”

Mark nods, grabbing his jacket and heading down the hallway that lead towards their room. The door was halfway open, and Mark spotted Jackson sitting on the bed, phone cradled in the crook of his neck. “Yeah Jae I know, but he seems really interested in me,” Oh, he's on the phone, Mark realizes. He shouldn't be eavesdropping, totally not, but Mark is just the tiniest bit curious. “You think it's sudden, really? I really like him, Jae, I'm just not sure if it's too soon. It's not like we haven't assumed he was into me before, but still.” There's a pause. “You think I should go for it? Even though he's — well, you know, him. It's not risky?”

Mark gasps quietly. Was Jackson talking about him? Or was he talking about.. Bambam? His lips curve into a frown as he reaches forward to rap his knuckles on the already semi open door, alerting Jackson of his entrance. Jackson's eyes bolted towards the door, shocked of Mark's presence. “Jae, I'm gonna have to, uh, call you back.”

Mark falters, not moving much as his hands hold steady on the door handles. “Jinyoung said your bag was downstairs? He told me to come get you. So I'm, uh. Here, I guess?”

Jackson slides his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y-Yeah, I realized that it wasn't here,” Jackson says quietly. “I just decided to call Jaebum. I haven't talked to him in a while, I needed advice on.. something.”

“I thought you usually asked Jinyoung for advice?”

“Well,” Jackson shrugged, moving towards Mark to exit the room. “Not this time, I needed a different opinion.”

“You could have asked me —”

“— Mark,” Jackson grips one of Mark's bare shoulders, looking into his eyes softly. “If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask you.” He sighed then, running the hand that was on Mark's shoulder through his hair. “Come on, I have practice for the concert later.”

Mark stares at Jackson for a little too long before realizing what the other had said. He nods quickly then, moving out of the doorway so Jackson could close and lock the door. “Yeah. Practice.”

The walk back down to the restaurant downstairs was fairly quiet. The two glanced at each other every now and then, but no words were directly exchanged.

Jinyoung was by the entrance, holding Jackson's duffel bag in one hand and clutching his phone in the other. There was a wide grin on his face as he spoke into the phone, seemingly entirely devoted on the conversation enough to not notice Mark and Jackson walking up to him.

“— Jae stop,” Jinyoung was laughing quietly, running a hand through his hair. “I miss you too, you know that.”

Jackson exchanged a look with Mark, leaning in to the older boy. “They're so sappy, it's cute,” He whispers. “The day they get together will be the happiest day for me, really.“

Mark smiles. “Yeah, they are cute, I could agree.”

“You're cuter, though.” Jackson's compliment came out of left field, and suddenly Mark was blushing furiously. “See and now that you're blushing you're even cuter! Mark, you're gonna make me blush.“ Seeing Mark blush seemed to make a high pitched giggle escape Jackson's lips, which caused Jinyoung to swirl around, spotting the two.

“Jae, I'm going to have to call you back,” A pause. “Okay. Bye.”

“I called him then he immediately calls Jinyoung.” Jackson mutters under his breath as Jinyoung walks towards them.

“You guys sure walk slow,” Jinyoung commented. “Are you ready for practice?”

Jackson nods, and the three of them walked out of the hotel restaurant together to head to the car because practice awaited.

* * *

“Thank you Shanghai! I love you, I hope to be back soon!” Jackson waves to the crowd after the last song, wiping the sweat off his head with a black cloth while he exited the stage.

Mark and Jinyoung are leaning against the wall, discussing some of Jackson's upcoming tour dates when the idol walks up to them. He had been enthusiastic seconds ago, but now his smile was turned down slightly into a frown. Mark picks this up immediately, leaning in to place his fingers on the other's chin, tilting it up so they were making direct eye contact. “Jackson,” Mark's tone was soft, worried. “You okay?”

Jackson nods, giving Mark a half smile. “Y-Yeah,” He dismisses, voice a bit shaky. He removes Mark's fingers, placing both of his own hands over his face, sighing. “I'm just really tired. Really really tired. But I'm fine,” Jackson sounds not even the slightest bit genuine, and it hurts Mark's heart seeing him so tired. “Don't worry.”

Jinyoung had moved away, Mark had noticed then, so he pulls Jackson in. “It's my job to worry about you, Jackson.” He says quietly, Mark's heart softening as Jackson nuzzles his head against Mark's warm chest.

“Technically, your job is to assist me,” Jackson corrects jokingly but his voice was low and dripping of weariness. “I'm just so tired, Mark.”

“I know you are, Jacks. I know.” Mark sighs. Jackson's weariness did show up quite a bit, it wasn't that Mark didn't notice. Jackson always assures him he's fine, and that everything is fine, but Mark knows it's not. “You need to rest, okay? Before the Bangkok concert, I want you to rest.”

Jackson nods somberly in response to Mark. Mark knew Jackson was always on the go and he had become accustomed to not getting much rest. “I guess so —” Jackson is interrupted by Jinyoung offering him a bottle of water, which he begins to sip quietly. Jinyoung watched the idol before glancing to Mark, who meets his gaze. Mark only frowns, not having much to say after witnessing Jackson's weariness.

“Well, we leave for the airport in a little bit. Japan awaits,” Jinyoung tells the two, patting his own thigh. “Then Bangkok. So, Jackson don't rest here, rest on the way to the airport,” With Jinyoung's instructions, Jackson lifts his head from Mark's chest. Mark whined from the loss of heat, and a small grin appeared on Jackson's face. “Let's get ready to go. Jackson, get your stuff.“

* * *

The next few days went by relatively smooth in Mark's opinion. The three performances in Japan had all went super well, with good turn outs and amazing responses from the audience during the concert itself. Jackson wasn't as tired as usual, the idol his energized and vigorous self again, which relieved Mark. He only wanted to see Jackson smiling, and now that the smile had returned, the older boy was content.

At least, until the smile was fueled due to a certain someone named Bambam.

Jackson's crew had arrived in Bangkok for the two concerts he'd be playing within the next few days. Jackson was met with a crowd of fans at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, many there to snap pictures of a happy and smiling Jackson.

Within hours of being in Thailand, Jackson had received a flurry of text messages. His iPhone continuously lit up while lying on a sleeping Jackson's thigh. Curiosity overtook Mark at some point, and he peered over at the illuminating screen. Mark didn't mean to be nosy, he swore, he just wanted to see if it was important enough to wake Jackson up for.

None of it seemed in dire need of Jackson's attention, just a bunch of irrelevant notifications — except the top few. They were from Bambam, the object of Jackson's affection recently, and Mark gasped a bit. The gasp set off Jinyoung, who was sitting directly across from Mark. The manager had been keeping to himself, reading over a contract for a guest role Jackson has been offered on a variety show.

But his eyes immediately snapped to Mark when the boy gasped. Jinyoung's lips parted slightly, as he pointed his index finger at Mark. “You're reading his messages!?” Jinyoung whisper yelled. “Talk about invasion of privacy!”

Mark waved off Jinyoung, whispering how annoying he was but continuing to read the messages. Mark had to lean a little bit to read the messages, his chest pressing into Jackson's lap slightly.

“What are you doing?”

Jackson's very sleepy voice scared Mark, the older boy fidgeting in Jackson's lap. Quick to think of an excuse as to why he was in Jackson's lap, totally not reading his text messages nope, Mark simply nuzzled his head into Jackson's lap. “You're just so warm,” Mark did have to say though, that Jackson was very warm. “I just wanted to use your lap as a pillow.”

Jackson was looking down at Mark strangely, his sleepy self telling him that Mark did like being in his lap, but his slowly awakening self figured the whole situation didn't make much sense. “Why didn't you use an actual pillow? Mark, you're so silly,” He ruffled the other boy's hair that was so easily within reach before grabbing his phone that had been charging near Mark's head. Mark watched Jackson's expression as the idol read through his notifications, seeming indifferent to all of them. Maybe he doesn't care much about Bam, Mark said to himself with a sigh of relief, cuddling further on Jackson's lap.

Until Jackson gasped, sitting up quick enough to jostle Mark directly out of his lap. “Bambam said he saw HQs of me at the airport and he wants to meet up with me!” Jackson sounded excited, but Mark didn't feel as ecstatic as his crush. “He's so cool, I can't wait to meet up with him!”

“Jackson, you won't have any time in the next few hours to meet up with Bambam,” Jinyoung became the voice of reason, and Mark was ever thankful — “But if he's coming to the concert later invite him backstage.”

Mark's jaw dropped, glancing over at the grinning person whose mouth the words had slipped passed. Jackson looked elated as he typed on the phone, a wide smile. “He responded quickly,” said Jackson. “He said he'll be there.”

Mark bit his lip. “That's g-good, Jackson, I'm happy he'll be there to see you.”

“Me too, to be honest I've always thought he was a cool guy,” Jackson beams. “But we were both so busy that we never really got to hang out! It's cool that he's coming to support me,” Jackson gets off the couch then, stretching. “You think if we hit it off, we could become like best friends and take cool selfies and go to each other's concerts? Wouldn't that be cool?”

Mark sits by, not saying anything, simply listening. He wasn't a little jealous, nope, totally not.

“Gonna leave Jaebum, huh?” Jinyoung smiles, getting off the couch to get back to work. Mark stood up as well, realizing that test time was over.

“Yeah, I will leave Jaebum,” Jackson grins. “All for you!”

“Yah! Unbelievable, you two never stop with the jokes about me and him, do you?”

“Not when you're totally absolutely in love with him.”

“Well,” Jinyoung grins, and from across the room, Jackson cringes with apprehension of Jinyoung's words. “Let's talk about how you are totally, absolutely, devastatingly in love with —”

”— Okay, okay, I'll stop,” Jackson nervously glances at Jinyoung, then at Mark beside him. The idol turns his body, heading towards the stage. “I'm gonna go practice a bit! Bye got to go!”

Jinyoung laughs at Jackson's movements, moving towards Mark now that Jackson was gone. “Are you upset about Jackson meeting Bambam?”

Mark seemed apprehensive about the topic, looking over at Jinyoung shyly. “A little? I probably shouldn't even be upset, he's not my boyfriend or anything, right?” Jinyoung is silent, so Mark continues. “I told you earlier, I just —” Mark sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I just really like him, Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung listens as Mark speaks, his eyes sweeping over the room slowly. His attention is caught by the fluorescent blue shirt that was visible through the slightly open door. Jinyoung bites his lip, shaking his head. “Don't worry,” He whispers. “I think he knows.”

And from behind the door, Jackson couldn't hold back his wide smile.

* * *

Backstage was usually buzzing with life before a concert. The concert employees swirling around setting up for the event ready to come. Jackson usually relaxed beforehand, getting into his element before going out. That's just how things went, at least since Mark had been around the past few months.

That night, the equilibrium was thrown off balance entirely. The whole room practically stopped as the door flew open, and in walked two guests.

“Bambam!” Jackson was loud, loud enough to break Jinyoung and Mark's conversation and to make both glance in the direction of everyone's vision.

Bambam, from Mark's recollection, had to have been the smaller of the two boys. He had sharp features, his lips tucked into a pout while his grey hair was swept up. Mark wasn't quite sure who the tall, lean boy behind him was, though.

“Come on.” whispered Jinyoung, pulling on Mark's sleeve enough to get him up and walk towards Jackson, Bambam, and his friend. By the time Mark and Jinyoung got to them, they seemed to be in a deep conversation.

“Jinyoung-ee, Mark! I want you to meet Bambam,” Jackson gestured to the smaller boy, who simply nodded in acknowledgment to Mark and Jinyoung's presence. “And Yugyeom. He's Bambam's backup dancer.” Jackson points to the taller boy behind Bambam, who offers a half smile and a shy wave. “Yugyeom and Bam, these are my close friends! Jinyoung, my manager, and Mark, my personal assistant.”

“Hi, Bambam, it's nice to meet you.” Jinyoung offers his hand out to Bambam politely, expecting for the other to shake his hand and greet him back.

Rather, Bambam simply glanced at the outstretched hand, his eyes flickering from Jinyoung's hands to his eyes. “Yeah,” He chuckles, almost sarcastically. “Nice to meet you, uh, what did you say your name was again?”

Jinyoung smiles, and it looked unbelievably forced. “Jinyoung, Park Jinyoung.”

“Yeah, I didn't need your full name.”

From beside Jinyoung, Mark gasps at the seemingly abrasive attitude of the Thai star. Bambam's attention is given to Mark then, and the LA native breathes in deeply, hoping Bambam wouldn't give him the unnecessary rudeness. “Jackson here tells me you speak English?”

Mark's eyes widen. “Uh — I,” He hadn't used English much recently, only exchanging words with Jackson and helping Jinyoung with his ever growing English knowledge. He'd been using Korean mainly, even with Jackson — when they could have easily spoke in English or Mandarin — only because he wanted to become more proficient in the language.

“Hello? Do you not speak English then? Cat got your tongue?”

“No, no I do,” Mark was quiet. “Sorry.”

Bambam's eyes flicker over Mark unappreciatively. “It's cool,” He shrugs, before turning to Jackson, who had a blank look on his face. “Now, let's get to the point here, shall we? I want you to let me be your opening act.”

Mark, Jinyoung, and Jackson all gasp. “Wait — what?” Jackson looked confused. “Ah, I didn't have opening acts on this tour. It's a two hour concert, we wouldn't have time for —”

“— Let me go on now, then. The crowd is already full, I'll perform until you're ready to go on stage.”

“You don't have any backup dancers —”

“— But I do. They're all dressed and ready directly outside this room.”

“Why.. Why would you do this? I thought you wanted to watch the —”

Mark interrupts him this time. “Why should he let you? You suddenly come in here and demand to be an opening act? Who are you to do that?”

“I'm Kunpimook Bhuwakul, Thailand's first love. I just want to let you know that if you don't let me perform, I'll tell all the big new sources that you were absolutely rude to me, and that I was so sad I had to leave your concert,” He grins. “And my opinion matters a lot in this country, you should know. Don't you already have unsatisfactory rumors circulating in Korea about you? Do you want to add more fuel to the fire?”

Jackson's lips parted, eyes slightly watery. He stayed silent, contemplating everything Bambam said to him.

“So,” Bambam leans in. “What's it going to be?”


	13. A Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time I updated, we had just hit 10k? And now we have 12.2k! So happy, I love you guys so so much. Thank you guys for reading. We only have about 3/4 more chapters after this, and next chapter things start to get crazy. Enjoy the calm before the storm I guess lol! Also this is kind of short, but everything in this chapter comes back to play a big part in the next few. Sorry :( Love you all, happy reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I don't want to give in to him.“
> 
> “But Jinyoung-ee he's going to ruin Jackson in Thailand if we don't let him. Jackson has major upcoming CFs and billboards here. We can't let Bambam sabotage this. It'll just be a few songs to entertain the crowd, it can't be that bad.“
> 
> Jinyoung seems to concede in that moment, his shoulders deflating as a sigh passed his lips. “Fine. Go tell that son of a —” 

“Jinyoung, go check with the staff that this'll be okay.” Jackson's voice was soft as he glanced over in the direction of his manager. His eyes were trained on the floor, weight shifting from foot to foot in both embarrassment and awkwardness. 

Jackson felt absolutely shameful for allowing this to happen, especially for letting his guard down so easily as Jinyoung had told him so many times not to. He didn't even want to spare a look at Mark, who was probably as equally disappointed in Jackson as Jinyoung was. 

“Are you serious? You're really going to let him walk all over you like that?” Jinyoung sounded angry, he probably looked angry as well but Jackson was suddenly too shy to look up at him. “No. Absolutely not. I won't let you do this.” 

“Jinyoung-ee —” Jackson pleaded. 

“— No.” Jinyoung had always been stubborn like this, Jackson knew this as a solid fact. Convincing Jinyoung out of something his mind was set on was one of the most impossible feats without a doubt. It was one of the many reasons he made such a good manager. Right now though, Jinyoung's headstrong attitude was not working in Jackson's favor.

Jackson turned towards Mark, who had been almost focused on Jackson the whole time. His gaze was soft, pitying almost and it made Jackson cringe. He hated disappointing people, he had always been so complacent, it was just his second nature. Right now he could bet Mark was disappointed in him and it made him even sadder. “Mark, could you go check?” 

“Mark you better not do that, I mean it.” Jinyoung spoke up, eyes bearing fiercely into Mark's. Mark had learned to be slight afraid of Jinyoung when the manager got into demanding moods like this. 

Mark had meant to listen to Jinyoung he really, truly had because he never liked making his friend and colleague upset. But when Mark looked at Jackson and noticed the sad, almost empty look on his face, his feet moved with no thought toward the staff who were managing tonight's concert.

Mark had to explain the entire situation to the staff, who were genuinely confused that a celebrity like Bambam would try to blackmail Jackson. Soon enough, a sour faced Jinyoung was called over to contribute to finding a solution. He trudged over, arms folded and lips pursed tightly as he spoke. “He doesn't need this attention, he's admittedly famous enough after being on the scene for so long,” He spoke in hushed whispers. “I don't want to give in to him.“

“But Jinyoung-ee he's going to ruin Jackson in Thailand if we don't let him. Jackson has major upcoming CFs and billboards here. We can't let Bambam sabotage this. It'll just be a few songs to entertain the crowd, it can't be that bad.“

Jinyoung seems to concede in that moment, his shoulders deflating as a sigh passed his lips. “Fine. Go tell that son of a —” 

“— No insults, Jinyoung-ee.”

“Alright, alright,” He rolls his eyes. “Go tell Bambam to warm up then.“ 

Mark grimaces as he walks back to where Jackson stood beside Bambam and the tall boy behind him. “Um, you can go on. Just go over there,” Mark points to where the staff were quickly setting up, not anticipating an opening act. “And they'll give you your microphones and everything.” 

“Perfect.” Bambam flashed a wide, charming smile, his eyes practically twinkling as he and several of his dances strutted away. Mark had to admit, the boy was filled of pure, infectious charisma. It was visible by the way his lips curled into a smile, the way he presented himself all the time, and simply the aura that generated off of the star. It was almost irritating for Mark to know that someone with as much talent as Bambam was so utterly obnoxious and pretentious. 

Mark turned towards Jackson. “Are you okay?” 

Jackson shook his head. “N-No. I thought he wanted to be friends with me, like for real. Of course he didn't want to, of course it was all to take advantage of me,” Jackson sighed. “Who would want to be friends with me.”

“Jackson, don't say that!” said Mark, his hand instinctively reaching out to grasp Jackson's arm. Jackson's eyes fluttered to Mark's hand, then back to his eyes. “You're such a good person. Everyone would want to be friends with you! I'm glad I'm friends with you! Just don't..” Mark's voice trailed off. “Don't put yourself down because someone else is an asshole.” 

Jackson's eyes sparkled then and it was the most beautiful thing Mark had ever seen, he was certain of it. He wanted to make sure that Jackson looked happy every minute of every moment of every day. “Thank you, Mark. I'm glad that you're glad to be friends with me because I'm glad to be friends with you.” 

Jinyoung ends up beside both of them then, standing close enough to Jackson to invade private space, but both seem to not care much. “Listen, if he's being mean to you, I'll figure out a way to expose him, I'll talk to JYP —”

“— Jinyoung-ee, it's fine, really,” Jackson glances towards the small slit in the curtain that revealed Bambam on stage. “Just let him do his thing.” 

Jinyoung squints at Bambam's figure bitterly. “He's cute and small with sparkly pointy boots but,” His tone was resentful. “He's evil.”

The three of them stood beside each other, watching the impromptu opening act introduce himself to the audience. (“As if they don't already know who he is,” Jinyoung scoffed. “What a jerk!”) And then proceeding to sing and dance with a planned setlist, like he had known he was going to do this all along — and he probably did. Jinyoung and Mark faded away at one point of another, leaving Jackson to watch Bambam in solitude.

Unsurprisingly, the crowd reacted phenomenally to Bambam appearing on stage. The entirety of the concert attendees jumped and cheered, enthusiastically lip syncing the words of the Thai's songs. Jackson shifted uneasily back stage, fiddling with his thumbs nervously as the staff fixed the transition for Jackson to go on stage. 

The crowd seemed to like Bambam very very much, Jackson thought, what if they didn't like him?

As if on cue, a hand carded through Jackson's hair in a soothing manner. “You're gonna do great out there,” Mark whispered onto his shoulder. “I believe it, no doubts here.“ 

Then came the actual cue for Jackson to hurry onto stage. Mark nudges Jackson, the younger boy stumbling forward as a microphone was thrusted into his grasp. 

“Go kill it out there! Don't let anyone put you down, Jacks.” 

Jackson smiled at Mark then, nodding in understanding before taking a deep breath. When he felt ready, he walked onto stage. “Good evening, Bangkok!” 

* * *

Jackson looks up in confusion. “Wait, what?” 

“Jackson, I'm not lying! Look, my email is blowing up with variety and CF offers! Last night was amazing exposure.” Jinyoung slides the phone over for Jackson to see. 

Jackson leaned to grab the phone, the pads of his fingertips moving up and down the screen, scrolling through the messages. There were dozens of offers for Jackson to appear on shows in the future, underneath listed with numbers to call to set up a guest visit on the show or a call into the show if interested. “I cannot believe this.”

Then, Mark bursts into the hotel room with three cartons of food in his hands. He seemed rushed as he places the boxes down. He widely gestures toward the TV. “Turn on the TV, now, now, now!” 

Confused, Jackson hurriedly reaches for the remote, powering the TV on. The channel had stayed the same in the room, fixed on the same gossip show that he had seen the day he arrived in Thailand. Bambam was on, wearing a crisp all black outfit, hair slicked back, and his eyes adorned with impeccable eye makeup.

Jackson initially swooned, but pinched himself after realizing how terrible Bambam had been to him. That's not a real friend, Jackson thinks, but boy is he good looking. 

Jackson snapped out of his reverie after hearing his name pass Bambam's lips. He suddenly payed very much attention to the seemingly live interview. 

“Oh, Jackson? He's one of my best friends, we had me appearing as the opening act under wraps for a while now,” Bambam smiles. “I'm so glad he came to Thailand, he's been telling me he would be coming for months but now he's actually here! I'll help him with Thai if he'll help me with,” Bambam laughs. “All the other languages he speaks! I'm blessed to be friends with such a cool, handsome guy.”

The host laughs, nudging Bambam's side. “Sounds like our Bammie has a big crush on Jackson Wang!” 

Bambam shrugs, raising his eyebrows as he lifts his hands up defensively. “You got me there!” 

Mark grabs the remote, turning off the TV then. “Can you believe him?!” 

“Actually, yes, I could believe him. He's a very convincing actor,” Jinyoung muses, tapping his cheek pensively. “He'd be great in dramas..” 

“Jinyoung-ee! That's definitely not the point here!” Mark whines.

“Hear me out. You know I'm all for Jackson and his gain on his journey to the top,” Jinyoung begins. “And Bambam seems to like gaining as well, even in his own country, where he's extremely popular. It wouldn't hurt for Jackson to forge a relationship with him. Of course, all for business purposes only. It'd be very beneficial for Jackson to create a fan base here.” 

Mark deadpans. “Are you serious? Did you see how Bambam treated him? You were against it last night, what changed?”

“Yes, I was against it, until I saw how Jackson became in demand after going on stage with Bambam. Suddenly Thai media outlets wanted interviews and variety shows wanted guest appearances. I'm only for Jackson doing well, I wouldn't suggest something I knew wouldn't be beneficial. You both know that.” Jinyoung pauses. ”And we'll get Bambam back at some point for last night. We'll call for a favor.” 

“He can loan me his family's private jet, or something.” Jackson laughed. 

“Are you really on board with this, Jackson?“ Mark asked incredulously. 

“Well.. Jinyoung-ee has a point, I think it'd be an —” Jackson's phone, that was charging beside Mark, rang loudly. “Can you give me my phone, please, Mark?” 

Mark unplugs the phone from the charger, briefly glancing at the caller ID before handing it over to Jackson. “Speaking of the pointy shoed devil.”

Jackson answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hi bestie!” Bambam was extremely enthusiastic greeting Jackson. While Jackson couldn't exactly say he felt like he wanted to display the same amount of enthusiasm, the positivity — genuine or not — was refreshing. 

“Hi, Bambam.” 

“Why do you sound so glum, aren't you excited to have all this basically free promo? You're welcome, by the way.”

“You still used me, Bambam.”

“Don't think of it like that!” Bambam whined. “I got something out of it, you got something out of it. So isn't it kind of a win win?”

Jackson pauses. “Yeah, I guess,” There's a pause on the line. “What if I told you I had a proposition?”

“Look at this! What a surprise. Jackson Wang wants to make a deal with me?” After laughing, Bambam seems to become intrigued. “So, what's your deal?”

“No, this isn't something I want to discuss over the phone.” Jackson's voice is firm, unwavering. He wouldn't let Bambam take advantage of him for a second time. “I want to meet you in person.”

“Fancy,” Bambam purrs. “Fine, I'll send a car to pick you up at.. Seven? We'll get dinner.”

“Sounds good. Bye.” Jackson ends the call a little prematurely, placing his phone down onto a table before turning to Jinyoung and Mark.

“A deal? What deal?” Mark's eyes were wide, almost as if he was upset.

Jackson laughs, really laughing. “I lied a little, I have nothing in mind. I was kind of hoping Jinyoung had a plan here.“

Jinyoung grins, putting down the notebook and pen he had mysterious provided out of thin air. He had notes furiously scribbled down, as if he had a great idea that desperately needed to be discussed — knowing Jinyoung, that was probably right. “Of course I have a plan.”

And hours later, Mark and Jackson were still next to each other. sat next to each other, eagerly listening to every word of Jinyoung's plan.

“— You guys got it?” Jinyoung asked, glancing up after he finished mapping it all out for the two.

“Definitely! Definitely got it.” Jackson assured, standing up to move over to the mirror. He stood in front of it, adjusting his jacket. “I look really good,” He starts, momentarily forgetting the discussion at hand. “Should I take a mirror selfie and post it on Instagram? Oh and Weibo? I already have a great caption —”

“— Jackson, we've been keeping Bambam waiting downstairs for almost 15 minutes!”

Jackson shuffled, twiddling with his fingers as he pouted at Jinyoung. “So.. Does that mean no mirror selfie?”

Mark leans over, whispering into Jinyoung's ear. “He looks really good, let him take his selfie, Jinyoung-ee.”

Jackson glows, hearing the comment even with his back turned to the two.

Jinyoung huffs. “I'm going downstairs, so take your picture, but hurry up.”

Mark heads with Jinyoung downstairs, the two chatting in the idle lobby as they waited for Jackson to come down. The idol didn't exactly hurry as Jinyoung had asked him to, but after a good ten minutes Jinyoung and Mark walked out of the hotel with Jackson by their side.

The three decided that Jinyoung would be the one to accompany Jackson in the chauffeured limousine ride to the restaurant. Mark did figure it made sense, so he didn't causing a problem, rather he reentered the hotel with no hassle. Mark decided to ask for the receptionist to call him a ride to the restaurant, and after he did he didn't have to wait too long for the vibrant yellow and green taxi to pull up in front.

The restaurant wasn't too far away from the hotel, so within fifteen minutes Mark's taxi had dropped him off. Jinyoung was waiting for him outside, one hand tucked into his pant pocket while the other held his phone up, fingertips typing away.

“Hey! Why didn't you go in?”

Jinyoung glanced up. “You can't be seated without every party in the reservation.”

Mark felt bad, but at the time flattered almost. “Did Bambam make a reservation for all of us? I didn't even know, I'm sorry —”

“— What? No! He made a reservation for him and Jackson. I made a reservation for the two of us.”

“Ah.” Mark nodded.

Jinyoung only grinned, tugging on Mark's wrist to pull him slightly close towards the restaurant entrance. “Sorry that I'm not super famous Thai star Bambam,” Jinyoung mock apologizes, and Mark goes to protest that he didn't really care about eating with him, but Jinyoung continued. “At least you're dating the other famous star at the table.”

“Oh, you're right —” There was a few seconds delay of understanding Jinyoung's words, and Mark didn't realize what the other had said. Jinyoung was grinning madly, while Mark was blushing furiously. “I'm n-not dating Jackson! I —”

Jinyoung ignores Mark, humming as he enters the restaurant. Mark stands behind the other quietly as Jinyoung informs the receptionist that they were here to claim their reservation. Seconds later, a waiter was taking Jinyoung and Mark to their table — that was coincidentally right beside Jackson and Bambam's.

“Real great thinking, Jinyoung-ee.” Mark whispers, not seeing the sheer genius in Jinyoung's plan. Mark assumed that Bambam would figure out they'd attempt at eavesdropping, and then put a halt to whatever conversation he was having with Jackson.

“Do you not trust me?” Jinyoung glances back one time before the waiter seats them. Both Jinyoung and Mark are silent as they pick up their menus, idly scanning the list of entrees and appetizers — neither of them came to eat, but rather to make sure the discussion flowed well.

Mark covered his face with the menu, leaning in to Jinyoung. “Are we going to order anything? Maybe make it look like we're actually here to eat?”

Jinyoung glances up from the menu. “What? Oh no, Mark, I told them who I was and how I was related to Jackson. That's how I got us sat here. We can order a few drinks and that'd be all.”  
“You had this planned out, didn't you?”

“Of course —”

Jinyoung was interrupted by the waiter stopping by the table to ask for their drink orders. Mark puts his menu down temporarily to ask for a water when someone behind the waiter catches his eye.

“— Mark, are you okay?”

Mark reverts his attention to Jinyoung. He nods his head hurriedly, before rising to his feet and pushing in his chair. “Excuse me. I'll be right back.”

The man Mark had been staring at realizes that he was on his way over to him. So, he too gets up and walks quickly towards the bathroom without a sparing glance Mark.

Mark makes his way through the restaurant with ease, carefully weaving through the tables and waiters to reach the bathroom. Once he enters, he notices the man was perched on a chair, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. Surprisingly enough, Mark isn't the first one to speak. “What, are you here to spy too?”

“Well, spy isn't the right word, Jackson knows I'm here,” Mark gives the boy a once over. He was quite tall, obviously taller than Mark with a lanky body shape, and beautifully muted features. Yet something about him was almost charming — it might've been the small grin and dark blue hair — but at the same time, his entire aura reflected mischievousness. “What about you, does Bambam know you're here?”

“Of course he knows I'm here. I wouldn't just come here to spy on him without him knowing, relationships aren't like that, uh,” He pauses. “I didn't get your name?”

Mark is hesitant, but nevertheless tells the other his name. He gets a smile in response from the other boy, but also an extended hand. “Nice to meet you, Mark. I'm Kim Yugyeom. Otherwise known as Bambam's backup dancer and,” He grins. “Boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Wait — what? You're dating Bambam?”

Yugyeom drops his hand, his minuscule smile turning into a slight frown. His shoulders drop, and he begins to sulk as he kicks the floor lazily. “It's not that hard to believe..”

“No, no it isn't! It's just — I didn't know Bambam was dating someone.”

“Well, we can't exactly go proclaiming to everyone that we're dating, you know why —”

“— Ah —”

“— The age difference. Duh! I'm like a few months younger than him, and if it makes it worse, I'm taller. What would it do for Bambam's image if he's dating a man so much taller and younger than him!” Yugyeom seems to be only half joking, and Mark cracks a smile.

At least it was confirmed that Bambam was not into Jackson at all. A small weight was lifted off Mark's shoulders at the thought, but he silently scolds himself for thinking like that. Mark has no claim to Jackson, they're both free to date whoever they want. But, there was just this small hope in Mark's heart that Jackson wouldn't be interested in Bambam, but rather a certain Californian native..

“You're dating Jackson though, aren't you?”

“What?”

“Well, Bambam told me that Jackson told him that he had the biggest crush on this guy that worked for him named Mark? And since your name is Mark I assumed..”

Mark could feel his face flush, and his eyes went wide. He felt.. elated, almost? Did Jackson really tell somebody else how much he liked Mark? Mark could feel himself getting giddy at the thought. “Did he r-really say that?”

Yugyeom releases a sudden boisterous laugh then, continuing to poke Mark's shoulder like a small child. “No, Jackson didn't tell Bambam anything. Bam just told me he thought you liked Jackson, and that it was so obvious. I just wanted to see for myself!”

Mark realizes in that moment exactly why Bambam liked Yugyeom so much.

The bathroom door opens, and Mark and Yugyeom are no longer alone. Jinyoung enters the bathroom, focusing on Mark. “Hey. I was waiting for you,” Now, he quickly glanced at Yugyeom, before giving his attention back to Mark. “Everything okay?”

Mark moves toward Jinyoung. “Everything's fine. Let's go back to the table, okay?” Hesitantly, Jinyoung nods, opening the door and holding it open for Mark. “Nice meeting you.” Mark waves, almost awkwardly before exiting the bathroom.

* * *

Turns out the two didn't have to stay at the restaurant much longer. Bambam and Jackson proposed a deal quicker than Mark and Jinyoung thought they would've, and they were all out within thirty minutes of them being reseated after the bathroom event.

They all got into the chauffeured car this time, the three sitting comfortably in the back while they discussed the proposal Bambam and Jackson settled on.

“How'd it go, Jacks? What'd Bambam say?” Jinyoung asks, obviously intrigued considering his position as Jackson's manager. Mark was interested as well, so he leans into Jackson as the idol explained.

“Well. You'd think it'd start off awkward because of the incident at the concert. But actually, it didn't? We talked and it was cool until he asked if he could perform in my last concert in Seoul. And I was all confused like, why would he perform with me again? And then he told me he indirectly promoted me Thailand by performing with me which gave my concert ten times more coverage than it was already getting,” Jackson paused. “And he had a point. So, he'll perform at my Seoul concert, we'll do like a duet kind of thing? And in exchange he'll hype my final concert and everything in Thailand.”

“That's all? Sounds like a pretty one sided deal, Jacks.” Jinyoung sounds slightly disappointed, frowning.

“There's more, but I'm keeping it a secret for when I'm actually going to need it. Then I'll tell you guys, promise. For now, let's just say it went very well.”

“Good, I guess?” Mark isn't quite sure how to reply, fiddling with his fingers as Jinyoung texts beside him. “Let's just get back to the hotel, we need to pack for Hong Kong.”

Jackson's smile grows wide, and he begins to bounce in his seat. “I'm going home, I'm going home, I'm going home!” It was as if he had forgotten that tomorrow he was flying back to his home, and all the happy feelings hit him in that exact moment.  

Mark sighs with content, listening to Jackson babble about how much he loved Hong Kong. The idol was so excited to return to his roots, to see his family and his friends and to perform for them. And even though Mark hadn't ever been to Hong Kong, he knew the trip was going to go phenomenally for everyone involved. Even Jinyoung pitched in to comment how excited he was as well to see Jackson's parents and to be in Hong Kong again. 

“Mark, while Jinyoung stays with my parents I'll take you around all the sites! I promise. You'll get a personal tour, just like I've always said.” Jackson reaches over to grip Mark's hand firmly, squeezing. He doesn't let go, either, rather keeping a loose hold. Jackson's thumb stroked the back of Mark's hand smoothly as everyone talked, and Mark felt like he was on the moon. 

He knew that he had to tell Jackson his feelings soon. And Mark thinks that tomorrow sounds like the most opportune time. 


End file.
